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📰 Will the Taliban take Afghanistan back to the past?
🀄 塔利班會把阿富汗帶回過去嗎?
"Thanks to God you are come," shouted an old man as my colleagues and I marched into Kabul on 14 November 2001, battling our way through the joyful crowds.
📌 2001 年 11 月 14 日,當我和我的同事們走進喀布爾時,一位老人喊道:“感謝上帝,你來了。” ,我們在歡樂的人群中艱難跋涉。
The anti-Taliban(塔利班) forces of Afghanistan's Northern Alliance, which had the backing of the US and other Western countries, had halted(停止) on the city outskirts, and the Taliban had simply run for it.
Five years of the most extreme religious dictatorship(獨裁政府) in recent times were over. Under the Taliban, Afghanistan(阿富汗) had become a black hole in which all sorts of extremism(極端主義) could thrive(滋生).
📌 阿富汗的北方聯盟的反塔利班武裝得到美國等西方國家支持,在城郊停了下來,塔利班乾脆逃跑。最近五年最極端的宗教獨裁結束了。在塔利班統治下,阿富汗成為各種極端主義滋生的黑洞。
Only two months earlier the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington had been planned and guided by Osama Bin Laden and his al-Qaeda movement. It simply never occurred to me then that Taliban could make a comeback(捲土重來).
📌 就在兩個月前,對紐約和華盛頓的 9/11 襲擊是由奧薩馬·本·拉登和他的阿爾蓋達組織運動策劃和指導的。那時我根本沒想到塔利班會捲土重來。
The governments of Afghanistan's two post-Taliban presidents, Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani, were democratically(民主地) elected but never strong, and corruption(腐敗) was the system which worked best.
Nevertheless President Ghani would still be in his palace and the army would be driving round in its expensive Western vehicles, if Donald Trump had not decided that he needed a foreign policy success before the 2020 election.
📌 阿富汗的兩位後塔利班總統哈米德·卡爾扎伊和阿什拉夫·加尼的政府是民主選舉產生的,但從不強大,腐敗是運作最好的制度。
儘管如此,如果唐納德川普沒有決定他需要在 2020 年大選之前取得外交政策的成功,加尼總統仍將在他的宮殿裡,軍隊將駕駛昂貴的西方車輛四處行駛。
Several Afghan politicians(政客) and journalists(記者) I know were horrified by the conclusion of the US talks with the Taliban political leadership in Doha in February 2020, and doubly so when President Joe Biden made it clear he was going to stick to it.
📌 我認識的幾位阿富汗政界人士和記者對 2020 年 2 月美國與塔利班政治領導人在多哈的會談結束感到震驚,而當喬·拜登總統明確表示他將堅持下去時,更是倍感震驚。
I was warned that no matter how moderate and peaceable the leaders in Doha might promise to be, the Taliban fighters on the ground would feel no compulsion(強迫) to observe the fine print.
And so it proved.
📌 我被警告說,無論多哈領導人承諾多麼溫和和平,地面上的塔利班戰士都不會被迫遵守細則。事實證明如此。
Directly after the US, British and other Western troops(軍隊) began pulling out(撤退), the Taliban fighters across Afghanistan made their play for power. Reports of prisoners being executed(被處決) brought an atmosphere of blind panic in one town after another, until Kabul itself succumbed(屈服) and officials and soldiers were battling(爭鬥) their way to the airport to get out.
📌 就在美英等西方軍隊開始撤軍後,阿富汗各地的塔利班武裝分子開始爭奪權力。囚犯被處決的報導在一個又一個城鎮引起了盲目恐慌的氣氛,直到喀布爾本身屈服,官員和士兵爭先恐後地趕往機場逃生。
資料來源: https://reurl.cc/Lbk9nx
「take no prisoners」的推薦目錄:
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take no prisoners 在 Milton Goh Blog and Sermon Notes Facebook 的精選貼文
Wait for the Right Time
“He restored the chief cup bearer to his position again, and he gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand; but he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. Yet the chief cup bearer didn’t remember Joseph, but forgot him.” (Genesis 40:21-23 WEB)
We all want our season of promotion and blessedness to come immediately. However, before that season, there is usually a quiet one of preparation.
In Joseph’s life, he was in prison for a crime he did not commit. After interpreting the dreams of two royal subjects, Joseph told them to remember him before Pharaoh, but the chief butler forgot about Joseph.
Just like that, two years went by. Can you imagine how disappointed Joseph must have felt? He might have thought, “Am I ever getting out of this prison, or will I spend my whole life in here?”
You may be feeling the same way. Your circumstances may be like a prison whereby you are existing, but not truly living the “life more abundantly” that Jesus died for you to have.
For a person who has a sickness, the abundant life would look like a healthy body that can do anything without feeling weakness or pain.
For a person who is lonely, the abundant life would look like having a spouse that he can share his life with.
For a person who is poor and in debt, the abundant life would look like having all debts paid and having more than enough savings to even be a blessing to others.
Was Joseph destined to stay in prison for the rest of his life? Let’s read the story:
“At the end of two full years, Pharaoh dreamed: and behold, he stood by the river...In the morning, his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all of Egypt’s magicians and wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh. Then the chief cup bearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, “I remember my faults today. Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, me and the chief baker. We dreamed a dream in one night, I and he. We dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream. There was with us there a young man, a Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard, and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams. To each man according to his dream he interpreted. As he interpreted to us, so it was. He restored me to my office, and he hanged him.” Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon. He shaved himself, changed his clothing, and came in to Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have dreamed a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It isn’t in me. God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”” ;Genesis 41:1, 8-16 WEB)
So two years after interpreting the chief butler’s dream, Joseph was freed from prison and brought before Pharaoh.
The moment of Pharaoh having the two prophetic dreams signaled God’s appointed time for Joseph’s deliverance. Those two dreams were Joseph’s door of hope in the midst of his trouble. The gift of interpreting dreams was the key in Joseph’s hand.
But why did God take so long before freeing Joseph? Technically, He could have given the dream to Pharaoh earlier than that.
“But Yahweh was with Joseph, and showed kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. The keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever they did there, he was responsible for it. The keeper of the prison didn’t look after anything that was under his hand, because Yahweh was with him; and that which he did, Yahweh made it prosper.” (Genesis 39:21-23 WEB)
In the prison, Joseph was put in charge of the other prisoners—it was a leadership role. During this time of quiet, mundane, routine living, God was sculpting Joseph into a man fit to be the prime minister of Egypt, to lead the whole nation of Egypt.
Perhaps you are also in a season of quiet preparation. Your talents are unknown to the world, but God is training you for the larger role He has prepared for you—your eventual destiny.
Many heroes in the Bible went through a quiet season like that: Moses tended sheep in the land of Midian before he was sent to deliver the children of Israel from Egypt. David shepherded his father’s sheep and killed a lion and a bear before he had the opportunity to fight Goliath. Gideon was a coward before God called him and turned him into a valiant hero who routed the Midianites with just three hundred men. Jesus spent thirty years in obscurity, being in close communion with the Father until it was time to begin His public ministry.
If the chief butler had told Pharaoh about Joseph any earlier, Pharaoh would have just brushed it aside. The dreams had to come first.
While you are waiting, God has already prepared the equivalent of Pharaoh’s dream to take you to a higher level at the right time. Waiting time with God is not wasted time. He is training you every day, little by little—with each Scripture, each prayer, each interaction with others, and each challenge that you overcome through faith.
If you are feeling delayed, just like Joseph was for two years in the prison, remember that delay is not denial! God is still sculpting you, and when you are ready, He will display His masterpiece for all to see.
“God’s Appointed Time: How to Be Fruitful in Every Season of Life” is the revelation that every Christian needs. It will cause you to be full of peace and joy, even as you wait for the appointed time of your breakthrough. Put an end to every frustration and learn to flow with God’s system of times and seasons for restful increase by His grace: https://bit.ly/god-appointed-time
take no prisoners 在 黃之鋒 Joshua Wong Facebook 的最佳貼文
【Joshua Wong speaking to the Italian Senate】#意大利國會研討會演說 —— 呼籲世界在大學保衛戰一週年後與香港人站在同一陣線
中文、意大利文演說全文:https://www.patreon.com/posts/44167118
感謝開創未來基金會(Fondazione Farefuturo)邀請,讓我透過視像方式在意大利國會裡舉辦的研討會發言,呼籲世界繼續關注香港,與香港人站在同一陣線。
意大利作為絕無僅有參與一帶一路發展的國家,理應對中共打壓有更全面的理解,如今正值大學保衛戰一週年,以致大搜捕的時刻,當打壓更為嚴峻,香港更需要世界與我們同行。
為了讓各地朋友也能更了解香港狀況,我已在Patreon發佈當天演說的中文、英文和意大利文發言稿,盼望在如此困難的時勢裡,繼續讓世界知道我們未曾心息的反抗意志。
【The Value of Freedom: Burning Questions for Hong Kongers】
Good morning. I have the privilege today to share some of my thoughts and reflections about freedom, after taking part in social activism for eight years in Hong Kong. A movement calling for the withdrawal of the extradition law starting from last year had escalated into a demand for democracy and freedom. This city used to be prestigious for being the world’s most liberal economy, but now the infamous authoritarian government took away our freedom to election, freedom of assembly, freedom of expression and ideas.
Sometimes, we cannot avoid questioning the cause we are fighting for, the value of freedom. Despite a rather bleak prospect, why do we have to continue in this struggle? Why do we have to cherish freedom? What can we do to safeguard freedom at home and stay alert to attacks on freedom? In answering these questions, I hope to walk through three episodes in the previous year.
Turning to 2020, protests are not seen as frequently as they used to be on the media lens, partly because of the pandemic, but more importantly for the authoritarian rule. While the world is busy fighting the pandemic, our government took advantage of the virus to exert a tighter grip over our freedom. Putting the emergency laws in place, public assemblies in Hong Kong were banned. Most recently, a rally to support press freedom organized by journalists was also forbidden. While many people may ask if it is the end of street activism, ahead of us in the fight for freedom is another battleground: the court and the prison.
Freedom Fighters in Courtrooms and in Jail
Part of the huge cost incurred in the fight for freedom and democracy in Hong Kong is the increasing judicial casualties. As of today, more than 10 thousand people have been arrested since the movement broke out, more than a hundred of them are already locked up in prison. Among the 2,300 protestors who are prosecuted, 700 of them may be sentenced up to ten years for rioting charges.
Putting these figures into context, I wish to tell you what life is like, as a youngster in today’s Hong Kong. I was humbled by a lot of younger protestors and students whose exceptional maturity are demonstrated in courtrooms and in prison. What is thought to be normal university life is completely out of the question because very likely the neighbour next door or the roommate who cooked you lunch today will be thrown to jail on the next.
I do prison visits a few times a month to talk to activists who are facing criminal charges or serving sentences for their involvement in the movement. It is not just a routine of my political work, but it becomes my life as an activist. Since the movement, prison visits has also become the daily lives of many families.
But it is always an unpleasant experience passing through the iron gates one after one to enter the visitors’ room, speaking to someone who is deprived of liberty, for a selflessly noble cause. As an activist serving three brief jail terms, I understand that the banality of the four walls is not the most difficult to endure in jail. What is more unbearable is the control of thought and ideas in every single part of our daily routine enforced by the prison system. It will diminish your ability to think critically and the worst of it will persuade you to give up on what you are fighting for, if you have not prepared it well. Three years ago when I wrote on the first page of prison letters, which later turned into a publication called the ‘Unfree Speech’, I was alarmed at the environment of the prison cell. Those letters were written in a state in which freedom was deprived of and in which censorship was obvious. It brings us to question ourselves: other than physical constraints like prison bars, what makes us continue in the fight for freedom and democracy?
Mutual Support to activists behind-the-scene
The support for this movement is undiminished over these 17 months. There are many beautiful parts in the movement that continue to revitalise the ways we contribute to this city, instead of making money on our own in the so-called global financial centre. In particular, it is the fraternity, the mutual assistance among protestors that I cherished the most.
As more protestors are arrested, people offer help and assistance wholeheartedly -- we sit in court hearings even if we don’t know each other, and do frequent prison visits and write letters to protesters in detention. In major festivals and holidays, people gathered outside the prison to chant slogans so that they won’t feel alone and disconnected. This is the most touching part to me for I also experienced life in jail.
The cohesion, the connection and bonding among protestors are the cornerstone to the movement. At the same time, these virtues gave so much empowerment to the mass public who might not be able to fight bravely in the escalating protests. These scenes are not able to be captured by cameras, but I’m sure it is some of the most important parts of Hong Kong’s movement that I hope the world will remember.
I believe this mutual support transcends nationality or territory because the value of freedom does not alter in different places. More recently, Twelve Hongkong activists, all involved in the movement last year, were kidnapped by China’s coastal guard when fleeing to Taiwan for political refugee in late-August. All of them are now detained secretly in China, with the youngest aged only 16. We suspect they are under torture during detention and we call for help on the international level, putting up #SAVE12 campaign on twitter. In fact, how surprising it is to see people all over the world standing with the dozen detained protestors for the same cause. I’m moved by activists in Italy, who barely knew these Hong Kong activists, even took part in a hunger strike last month calling for immediate release of them. This form of interconnectivity keeps us in spirit and to continue our struggle to freedom and democracy.
Understanding Value of freedom in the university battle
A year ago on this day, Hong Kong was embroiled in burning clashes as the police besieged the Polytechnic University. It was a day we will not forget and this wound is still bleeding in the hearts of many Hong Kongers. A journalist stationed in the university at that time once told me that being at the scene could only remind him of the Tiananmen Square Massacre 31 years ago in Beijing. There was basically no exit except going for the dangerous sewage drains.
That day, thousands of people, old or young, flocked to districts close to the university before dawn, trying to rescue protestors trapped inside the campus. The reinforcements faced grave danger too, for police raided every corner of the small streets and alleys, arresting a lot of them. Among the 800+ arrested on a single day, 213 people were charged with rioting. For sure these people know there will be repercussions. It is the conscience driving them to take to the streets regardless of the danger, the conscience that we should stand up to brutality and authoritarianism, and ultimately to fight for freedoms that are guaranteed in our constitution. As my dear friend, Brian Leung once said, ‘’Hong Kong Belongs to Everyone Who Shares Its Pain’’. I believe the value of freedom is exemplified through our compassion to whom we love, so much that we are willing to sacrifice the freedom of our own.
Defending freedom behind the bars
No doubt there is a terrible price to pay in standing up to the Beijing and Hong Kong government. But after serving a few brief jail sentences and facing the continuing threat of harassment, I learnt to cherish the freedom I have for now, and I shall devote every bit what I have to strive for the freedom of those who have been ruthlessly denied.
The three episodes I shared with you today -- the courtroom, visiting prisoners and the battle of university continue to remind me of the fact that the fight for freedom has not ended yet. In the coming months, I will be facing a maximum of 5 years in jail for unauthorized assembly and up to one ridiculous year for wearing a mask in protest. But prison bars would never stop me from activism and thinking critically.
I only wish that during my absence, you can continue to stand with the people of Hong Kong, by following closely to the development, no matter the ill-fated election, the large-scale arrest under National Security Law or the twelve activists in China. To defy the greatest human rights abusers is the essential way to restore democracy of our generation, and the generation following us.
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take no prisoners 在 Gavin職場英文- 分享有趣片語:take no prisoners (態度強硬 的推薦與評價
Prisoners是囚犯。在一場戰爭中,一名軍官命令手下的士兵殺死投降敵軍,就用這句話,意思是格殺勿論、不留活口。take no prisoners引申為對人很強硬、 ... ... <看更多>
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