塞拉利昂的宗教
All things happily to all men
对他们而言都是幸福的事情
Sierra Leone bucks a west African trend by celebrating its religious tolerance
塞拉利昂通过颂扬它的宗教容忍来反对西非趋势
THE minibuses that ferry Sierra Leoneans around their capital, Freetown, bear a variety of religious slogans. “Trust in Allah,” reads one, while others evoke the power of Christ. But one stands out. Somewhere, plying the potholed streets, is a bus bearing the words “God loves Allah”.
塞拉利昂首都弗里敦运行的小巴士上,贴满宗教标语。其中一个写道“相信真主阿拉,”然而其他基督教的宣传语。有一个却十分突出。某个崎岖不平的道路上,一辆巴士贴着标语“上帝爱真主”。
Sierra Leone takes religious tolerance seriously. Not only are relations between the two main religious groups in the west African country cordial, but it is not unusual to be both Christian and Muslim. Hassan Kargbo is one of thousands of Sierra Leoneans who have become known as a “ChrisMus”. He identifies himself as a Muslim, but also believes in Christianity. Before he starts work on Sundays, he goes to church. He visits a mosque every day. “I see it as the same religion,” he says, sporting a Jesus bracelet. “All of us say it's the same god that we're worshipping.”,
塞拉利昂对于宗教容忍的态度很严肃。两个主要的宗教团体在西部非洲国家之间的不仅关系融洽,但它不寻常的是穆斯林教和基督教。Hassan Kargbo是塞拉利昂成千上万人中信仰“ChrisMus”的其中一个。他认为自己是穆斯林教,但同样信仰基督教。在星期天开始工作前,他会去教堂。他同样每天拜访清真寺。“我认为它们是同样的宗教,”他玩弄着耶稣手镯说道。“我们都认为我们尊敬的是同一个上帝。”
Hold onto your faiths, all of them
坚持你所有的信仰
Kelfala Conteh is a caretaker at the oldest mosque in Freetown. “Of course Christians come here,” he says with pride. “We have both Christians and Muslims praying side by side. No fighting. Jesus was the messenger to tell the people to worship the one god. I respect him after Muhammad. I believe in the Bible and the Koran.”
Kelfala Conteh是弗里敦最老的清真寺的管理者。“基督徒当然来这里,”他骄傲的说道。“基督信徒和穆斯林信徒会肩并肩的一起祷告。没有吵闹。耶稣是告诉人们尊敬神的信使。在穆罕默德之后我最尊重他。我既相信圣经也相信古兰经。”
Sierra Leone straddles Africa's religious equator, where the Muslim north meets the Christian south. Other countries in the region are experiencing religious violence, with Islamist militants creating mayhem in the Central African Republic, Mali and Nigeria.
塞拉利昂是跨立于非洲宗教的交界线处,北方穆斯林信徒遇见了南方基督信徒。其他地区的国家正经历着宗教暴力,因为伊斯兰激进势力在中非共和国、马里和尼日利亚创造了故意伤害罪。
But in Sierra Leone the president, Ernest Bai Koroma, a Christian, was elected by voters who are roughly 70% Muslim. His vice-president is a Muslim. Marriage across sectarian lines is common, as are conversions. Neither religion played a part in the county's civil war in the 1990s. “We all believe in one God,” says Wurie Bah, a Muslim from Freetown. “If my friends invite me to church, of course I will go.”
但是塞拉利昂的总统,Ernest Bai Koroma是一个基督信徒,却由接近70%穆斯林信徒选民投票选中。他的副总统是一个穆斯林信徒。作为转换,跨越宗教的婚姻是很常见的。在20世纪90年代国家内战中,宗教并没起很大作用。“我们信仰者同一个上帝,”Wurie Bah,来自弗里敦的穆斯林信徒说道,“如果我的朋友邀请我去教堂,我当然会去。”译者:雷婧