VOA标准英语2008年-One Goal, Differing Views: US and Afghan Women

By Mandy Clark
Khost
05 June 2008

American women soldiers are probably among the most liberated¹ women in the world, fighting in the world's most sophisticated army. Many are on the ground in Afghanistan. Their aim is not only to wage war on terror but also to battle the Taliban-led campaign against women's rights. Some Afghan women, though, say they want to fight this battle on their own. Mandy Clark has this report from Khost, in eastern Afghanistan.
　

A female US soldier having her photo taken with Afghan women, 03 Mar2 2008

Sergeant³ Barbara Ospina sits on a dusty bench cleaning her rifle. She joined the U.S. Army as a response to al-Qaida's September 11th, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington. The 23-year-old wife and mother says she is committed to fighting the war on terror - but also another battle: the fight for women's rights in Afghanistan.

"It's pretty much like night and day when you look at American women compared to Afghan women but after all, we're all women," said Sergeant Ospina.

Although the United States military ousted⁴ the Taliban in 2001, Ospina says Taliban ideas about women - and how they should behave - are still ingrained in the country's psyche⁵.

Ospina says she hopes to help change that during her tour in Afghanistan.

"I would hope that when we leave here in 14 more months that it's a step closer than when we came in - not for us, but for the Afghan people because that's what they want, and that's what I want to help provide for them," she said.

Apache helicopter pilot Sharon Kelly has similar goals. She believes the Taliban must be defeated. She says American forces can help the Afghan people win their battle for basic freedoms.

"For me it's about America, but it's about everybody else too because we have such an amazing way of life and we have freedom and choices,' said Kelly. "But we want them to have the choices and to have the freedom that we do. I mean, having women in Afghanistan free would be an amazing thing."

Afghanistan has always been a traditional, male-dominated society, but women under the Islamic extremist Taliban rule suffered much more than before. Women and girls were confined to their homes, and barred from school. They could leave home only if accompanied by a male member of the family. And they had to wear a Burka, a flowing cape⁶ that covered them from head to toe, with a mesh⁷ screen over their eyes, their narrow window on the world.

That was supposed to change when the Taliban was routed. And some things have. Now, women are serving in government and girls can go to school.

But Parween, from the Revolutionary Afghan Women's Association, says not enough has changed. She would only give a first name. She says women's advocates are often targeted by extremists and she blames the Americans for the resurgence⁸ of the Taliban and what she says are new dangers for women.

"We think the situation for Afghan women is worse than before, it is no different to Taliban time and now," said Parween. "This war is not war against Taliban and al-Qaida, it's war against our people. United States bombing villages, killing⁹ the children and when people ask them, they say it was just a mistake and we thought there was Taliban. For this reason Taliban every day become more powerful."

The Taliban has been regrouping, especially in the country's east and south. The battles between Taliban fighters and U.S.-led coalition¹⁰ troops have heightened a sense of insecurity. They have also stoked fears that Taliban rule is on the way back. A growing number of civilians¹¹ have fled their homes and are displaced inside the country.

"OK, we have had the international military forces come in, but in fact the situation has got worse in the last two to three years and in fact we are seeing more people fleeing their places of origin," said Maya Amertunga, who is from the U.N.'s refugee agency. "We have so many internally displaced peoples, IDPs, who have received threatening letters from the Taliban. So something as fundamental as the right to an education is under attack here."

Afghan political activist¹², Malalai Joya, says the Americans may be well intentioned. But, she says, freedom cannot come from the barrel of a gun.

"Maybe this B-52 will bring real democracy, first of all security for us," said Malalai Joya. "Today unfortunately, we do not have women rights. Women rights, human rights, these values are not something that someone [can] donate [to] us."

Afghan women activists¹³ and American women soldiers - their goals are similar; their ideas on how to achieve them remain vastly different.

1 liberated   

a.无拘束的，放纵的

参考例句：

• The city was liberated by the advancing army. 军队向前挺进，解放了那座城市。
• The heat brings about a chemical reaction, and oxygen is liberated. 热量引起化学反应，释放出氧气。

2 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

3 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

4 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

5 psyche   

n.精神；灵魂

参考例句：

• His exploration of the myth brings insight into the American psyche.他对这个神话的探讨揭示了美国人的心理。
• She spent her life plumbing the mysteries of the human psyche.她毕生探索人类心灵的奥秘。

6 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

7 mesh   

n.网孔，网丝，陷阱；vt.以网捕捉，啮合，匹配；vi.适合； [计算机]网络

参考例句：

• Their characters just don't mesh.他们的性格就是合不来。
• This is the net having half inch mesh.这是有半英寸网眼的网。

8 resurgence   

n.再起，复活，再现

参考例句：

• A resurgence of his grief swept over Nim.悲痛又涌上了尼姆的心头。
• Police say drugs traffickers are behind the resurgence of violence.警方说毒贩是暴力活动重新抬头的罪魁祸首。

9 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

10 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

11 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

12 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

13 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》