“我们必须意识到我们文明的优越性，这是一个保障了福祉、尊重人权的制度，并且——与伊斯兰国家形成对比——尊重宗教和政治权利，这一制度以理解多元和宽容为其价值所在……”——西尔维奥·贝卢斯科尼 西方政府在承诺向海啸灾民提供援助方面的迟缓反应，无论是西方人还是灾民本身都对此表示不满。

"We must be aware of the superiority of our civilisation, a system that has guaranteed well-being, respect for human rights and - in contrast with Islamic countries - respect for religious and political rights, a system that has as its value understanding of diversity and tolerance...” -- Silvio Berlusconi he belated response from western governments in pledging aid to the victims of the tsunami disaster was frowned upon by westerners and victims alike.

美国最初承诺提供的3500万美元援助，被一位美国参议员形容为相当于美军在伊拉克吃早餐之前消耗的开支。后来援助金额增至3.5亿美元，但对缓解日益高涨的、针对布什政府的批评几乎毫无作用。

America's initial pledge of $35 million was described by a US senator as equivalent to what the American military consumed in Iraq before breakfast. Eventually, the aid was increased to $350 million, but did little to stem the growing tide of criticism directed at the Bush administration.

在英国，政府也因承诺向救济基金捐助的数额微薄而受到谴责。感到颜面尽失后，政府急忙加码，以与英国民众捐出的9000万英镑相匹配。

In Britain too, the government was censured for pledging a meagre amount to the relief fund. Sensing humiliation the government hastened to match the British public's donation of £90 million.

这些政府向世界其他国家不断宣扬平等和人权，还设立了人权委员会；可一旦有机会在世界上最贫穷的一些国家落实这些理念，他们却突然像患了健忘症一样，把一切都抛在脑后。

These are the very same governments that never tire of preaching equality, human rights to the rest of the world, and setting up human rights commissions, but when given the opportunity to foster these ideals in some of the poorest countries of the world they are suddenly overcome with amnesia.

西方政府未能对亚洲的灾难做出充分回应，这并非天灾，而是资本主义意识形态的结果。这种意识形态使物质利益而非人道主义成为援助分配的决定性因素。以美国为例：

The failure of Western governments to respond adequately to the catastrophe in Asia is not an act of God, but is the result of the capitalist ideology that makes materialism as opposed to humanitarianism the discerning factor in the disbursement of aid. Take the US for example:

每年约有0.1%的美国国民生产总值用于对外援助。其他西方国家提供的援助金额略好一些，但仍远远低于使受灾地区恢复到一定程度正常状态所需的数额。

approximately 0.1 percent of U.S. gross national product annually goes towards foreign aid. The amount of aid offered by other western countries is slightly better, but still way below what is needed to return the disaster stricken areas back to some degree of normality.

与此形成鲜明对比的是，西方投入巨资掠夺世界上珍贵的资源，为其企业开拓新市场，并使发展中国家依附于西方的金融机构。2004年6月，美国在伊拉克和阿富汗发动战争的费用已达1510亿美元，预计到2005年将突破2000亿美元大关。援助与战争之间的开支不平等，源于资本主义意识形态，它驱使西方政府将物质主义置于一切之上。

In marked contrast, the West spends vast amounts on exploiting the world's precious resources, creating new markets for their companies and tying developing countries to western financial institutions. In June 2004, America's cost of waging war in Iraq and Afghanistan reached $151 Billion and is expected to surpass $200 billion mark in 2005. The inequality in spending between aid and war is due to the capitalist ideology that drives western governments to prioritise materialism above anything else.

在他们看来,人的生命之神圣与对同胞的尊重,远远排在追逐利润之后。例如,自伊拉克战争开始以来,据《柳叶刀》医学期刊估计,已有约十万名伊拉克平民被杀。这意味着,美国政府为确保伊拉克油田的安全,平均每杀死一名伊拉克平民,就向五角大楼支付约150万美元。另一方面,美国政府唯恐被贴上“吝啬”的标签,却承诺为约一百万名流离失所的受害者提供人均35美元的人道主义援助。

In their view, the sanctity of human life and respect for fellow human beings comes a poor second to the pursuit of profit. For instance, since the beginning of the war in Iraq, an estimated 100,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed according to the Lancet medical journal. This means that the US government is paying the Pentagon on average $ 1.5 million per Iraqi civilian killed in order to secure the oil fields of Iraq. On the other hand, the US government eager to avoid the label 'stingy' has pledged $ 35 per person in humanitarian assistance to the million or so displaced victims.

尽管如此,仍有一些人夸耀西方的慷慨程度远超其他国家。他们引用西方政府向海啸救援基金所做的巨额捐助,以及它们愿意暂停债务减免,作为证据。

Still there are some who boast about the size of the west's generosity in comparison to other countries. As evidence they cite the huge contribution made to the tsunami relief fund by western governments and their willingness to impose a moratorium on debt relief.

然而,西方的善意历来声名狼藉,往往事与愿违,给受援者留下苦涩的滋味。伊朗巴姆地震的受灾者至今仍生活在赤贫之中,原因是大肆宣传的10亿美元援助中,实际只送达了1700万美元。遭受联军轰炸蹂躏的阿富汗人,至今仍未收到其中40%的50亿美元援助(原文如此)。4

However, West’ s kindness has a notorious history of rebounding and leaving a bitter taste amongst the receipts of aid. Victims of the Bam earthquake in Iran are still living in abject poverty because only $ 17 million of the muchpublicised $ 1 billion aid was delivered. Afghans, ravaged by coalition bombs are yet to receive 40% of the $ 5.4

…十亿美元的援助承诺。2002年，布什宣布非洲国家每年将获得多达50亿美元的发展援助。两年过去了，一美元也没有发放。另有大量证据表明，给予马尔代夫的援助附带条件，即民主化进程必须持续推进。

billion in aid promised to them. Back in 2002, Bush declared that African countries would receive up to $5 billion a year in development assistancev. Two years on, and not a single dollar has been dispersed. There is also overwhelming evidence that aid given to Maldives was attached with the condition that democratisation process should continue.

同样,暂停偿还债务、只是推迟到以后再恢复还款,对于缓解该地区各国的经济困境也收效甚微。这些国家背负着沉重的债务,还被迫承受国际货币基金组织的严苛措施,而这些措施在多数情况下会逆转经济复苏的势头。例如,印度尼西亚的外债总额约为1500亿美元;若按某些欧洲国家的建议暂停偿付31亿美元的本金和13亿美元的利息,并不能使印度尼西亚摆脱贫困,也无助于海啸灾民。

Similarly, freezing debt repayments only to be resumed at a later date will do little to alleviate the economic plight of the countries in the region. These countries are saddled with mountains of debt and are forced to endure tough IMF measures which in most cases reverse the economic recovery. For instance, Indonesia's overall external debt is about $ 150 billion; suspending the payment of $ 3.1bn in principal and $ 1.3bn billion in interest payments as suggested by some European countries will not lift Indonesia out of poverty or help the tsunami victims.

如果西方真心想帮助印度尼西亚和其他国家,就应当彻底免除债务,并取消国际货币基金组织强加于其经济的各项条件。这将使印度尼西亚能够实现经济自给,减少对外部援助的依赖。这一策略不仅有助于印度尼西亚人民自力更生,也有助于他们切实为未来的海啸做好准备。然而,西方政府绝不会容忍它们与发展中世界之间实现经济对等,因为这会损害企业利润,并削弱其对宝贵资源的控制。

If the West is serious about assisting Indonesia and other countries, then it should retire the debt altogether and cancel the IMF conditions imposed on its economy. This will enable Indonesia to become economically self-sufficient and less reliant on external aid. This strategy will not only help the Indonesia people stand on their feet, but also help them prepare effectively for future tsunamis. But western governments will never tolerate economic parity between themselves and the developing world, as it hurts cooperate profits and loosens their grip on valuable resources.

物质主义以及对资源的不断追逐，使西方政府再次错失了赢得受美国反恐战争重创的穆斯林民众之心的机会。

Materialism and the constant quest for resources have allowed western governments to squander another opportunity to win the hearts and minds of the Muslim people reeling from America's war on terrorism.

但如果说西方对资本主义的坚持已使其丧失同情心，对人的生命漠不关心，那么穆斯林世界的统治者也可以这样说。他们没有利用亚洲的灾难来帮助穆斯林同胞、赢得非穆斯林受害者的心，而是把首要任务放在保护西方列强的经济利益上，其次才是保护自己的王位。

But if the west's adherence to capitalism has made it devoid of compassion and insolent of human life then thesame can be said for the rulers of the Muslim world. Instead of taking advantage of the catastrophe in Asia to help their fellow Muslims and win the hearts and minds of the non- Muslim victims, their first priority is to protect the economic interests of western powers followed by their own thrones.

以沙特阿拉伯为例。“9·11”事件之后，它在美国发起了一场耗资数百万美元的媒体宣传活动，以改善王室的公众形象。相比之下，它对海啸灾难的回应则低调得多，这恰恰说明了他们对资本主义是多么痴迷。

Take Saudi-Arabia. After the events of September 11, it launched a multi-million dollar media campaign in the US to improve the public image of the royal family. In comparison, its response to tsunami crisis remains low-key and underscores how enamoured they have become with capitalism.

当今世界需要的是这样一种意识形态和国家：它不会永远忙于争夺资源、保护市场，而在面对因自然灾害而深受苦难的人们时，却能以慈悲和对人命的尊重来面对这些灾难的受害者。

What the world needs today is an ideology and a state that is not forever preoccupied with securing resources and protecting its markets when faced with people deeply distressed by natural disasters. But is able to face up to victims of such catastrophes with compassion and respect for human life.

只有哈里发制度才能赢得遭受灾难的穆斯林和非穆斯林的心。当伊斯兰的死敌古莱氏人遭遇饥荒时，前来救援的不是罗马人或波斯人，而是在麦地那的新生伊斯兰国家，在安拉的使者ﷺ的领导下提供了救济，赢得了他们的心。650年，在欧麦尔（愿安拉喜悦他）哈里发统治时期，麦地那遭受饥荒重创，埃及的穆斯林派出了前所未有的援助。除了陆路运送援助外，还挖掘了一条长达六十九英里的运河，将尼罗河与红海相连，使满载大量粮食的船只能够抵达麦地那的港口吉达。整个工程在六个月内完成，麦地那的粮食短缺问题得以永久解决。

Only the Caliphate can win the hearts and minds of both Muslims and non-Muslims who have been afflicted with calamity. When the sworn enemies of Islam, the Quraiysh were stricken with famine, it was not the Romans or the Persians that rushed to their rescue, but the infant Islamic state in Madina under the leadership of the Messenger of Allah (SAW) that provided relief and won their hearts. In 650, during the reign of the Caliphate of Umar (RA), Madina was devastated by famine and it was the Muslims of Egypt that sent forth aid the likes of which was not seen before. In addition to sending aid over land, a sixty-nine mile canal was dug to connect the River Nile to the Red Sea, so that ships laden with vast quantities of food could reach Jeddah the port for Madina. The whole project was completed in six months and Medina's food shortages were permanently solved.

2005年1月15日

Jan 15, 2005