VOA标准英语2009-Indonesians Look Toward Obama Speech With Ho

President Barack Obama is preparing to give a speech in Cairo addressing the world's Muslims. Expectations for the speech are high in Indonesia, a predominately Muslim country where Barack Obama spent part of his childhood.
　
President Barack Obama

Indonesia sees Mr. Obama's election as a chance to raise its international profile: the U.S. president has ties to the archipelago, having lived here for three years as a child with his mother and stepfather.

Improved relations

During the past decade, ties with Washington have warmed significantly, after years of coolness when strongman President Suharto governed Indonesia. During a recent visit, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised Indonesia's recent achievements: creating a stable democracy that manages to record economic growth despite the global financial crisis.

Because of this record, Ir Zuhai, rector of Al-Azhar University in Jakarta, had hoped a few months ago that President Obama would give his address to the Muslim community at the school.

"In the sense that they do not visit Indonesia first, we are of course rather disappointed," said Zuhai. "We are unique. We are a multicultural¹ community, but we do not have a culture of violence. Indonesia is unique because it is the largest democratic [state] based on Islamic values. That is to dismiss the prototype thinking that Islam is not compatible with democracy. It is compatible."

Instead, Mr. Obama will give his speech Thursday in Cairo, after visiting Saudi Arabia.

Youth interest

It is prayer time, and the students from the Al-Azhar University are getting ready to worship. It is an illustration of Indonesia's relaxed version of Islam. Roughly half of the girls here do not wear the Muslim headscarf, and the dress code here is inspired mostly by U.S television.

Reva Fardani, a 19-year-old economics student, says he is interested in Mr. Obama's speech, because even though he has a very good impression of the U.S. president, he still needs proof that Mr. Obama's open hand policy toward Islam is genuine.

Fairness important
　
Indonesian street tailor works on his portable sewing machine in Jakarta, 02 Jun 2009

It is an opinion shared by Komarrudin Hidayat, rector of Jakarta State Islamic University.

"America should prove to the world that they are egalitarian and democratic. When American society is reluctant to accept the others, actually they destroy their own foundations when they are promoting democracy to the world," said Hidayat.

Indonesia is not immune to the militancy² that has risen in some countries. It has been victim of home-grown terrorism, but managed to uproot³ it by arresting and prosecuting⁴ those responsible. Even though the majority of Indonesians are moderate Muslims, there is an increasingly vocal⁵ hard-line minority that is gaining more political sway.

Will speech ease anger?

The president of the Moderate Muslim Society, Zuhairi Misrawi, hopes Mr. Obama's speech will help ease the anger that fuels militancy, particularly over Palestine.

"Actually, I do not care about the Palestine issue, but the radical⁶ groups they do pay attention to the Palestine issue," said Misrawi. "If the Obama administration doesn't give a good solution for Palestine, I think the radical groups will still rise in the future because they make the issue of Palestine as the raison d'être of their movement."

Although Indonesia is far from the Middle East, the issue of a Palestinian state is important to Muslims here. Many Indonesians have great hope that Mr. Obama will be able to help resolve the issue.

1 multicultural   

adj.融合多种文化的，多种文化的

参考例句：

• Children growing up in a multicultural society.在多元文化社会中长大的孩子们。
• The school has been attempting to bring a multicultural perspective to its curriculum.这所学校已经在尝试将一种多元文化视角引入其课程。

2 militancy   

n.warlike behavior or tendency

参考例句：

• Full of militancy and revolutionary ardour, the people of all nationalities in the country are working hard for the realization of the four modernizations. 全国各族人民意气风发， 斗志昂扬，为实现四个现代化而奋战。
• The seniority system is another factor that leads to union militancy. 排资论辈制度也是导致工会好斗争的另一因素。

3 uproot   

v.连根拔起，拔除；根除，灭绝；赶出家园，被迫移开

参考例句：

• The family decided to uproot themselves and emigrate to Australia.他们全家决定离开故土，移居澳大利亚。
• The trunk of an elephant is powerful enough to uproot trees.大象的长鼻强壮得足以将树木连根拔起。

4 prosecuting   

检举、告发某人( prosecute的现在分词 )； 对某人提起公诉； 继续从事（某事物）； 担任控方律师

参考例句：

• The witness was cross-examined by the prosecuting counsel. 证人接受控方律师的盘问。
• Every point made by the prosecuting attorney was telling. 检查官提出的每一点都是有力的。

5 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

6 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。