双语：巴基斯坦首都禁止情人节活动

　　Court in Pakistan has banned public celebrations of Valentine’s Day in the capital, Islamabad, on the grounds that it is not part of Muslim culture.

　　巴基斯坦法院已在首都伊斯兰堡禁止了今年的情人节庆祝活动。原因在于它不属于穆斯林文化。

　　The Islamabad High Court’s order prohibits all Valentine’s Day festivities in government offices and public spaces with immediate effect.

　　伊斯兰堡高级法院禁止在政府办公室和公共场合进行任何情人节庆祝活动的指令即刻生效。

　　It also directs the media not to promote or cover Valentine’s events.

　　与此同时，该法令指明了媒体不能宣传或报道情人节活动。

　　The orders were a response to a private petition which argued that Valentine’s Day was contrary to Islamic teaching.

　　这些指令是对一个私人请愿书的回应，该请愿书称情人节违反了伊斯兰教义。

　　According to the Dawn newspaper, the petition argued that the festival promoted immorality, nudity and indecency under the cover of spreading love.

　　《黎明报》称，该请愿书坚决主张情人节是在传递爱的幌子下，助长淫荡，裸露和下流的不良风气。

　　Valentine’s Day has grown in popularity in many cities in Pakistan over the past decade, but some religious groups have denounced it as decadent.

　　虽然在过去十年里，情人节在巴基斯坦的许多城市里变得很受欢迎，但是，一些宗教团体公开指责其为堕落的行为。

　　The ban does not affect shops and restaurants, but it is the first time such a ruling has been imposed in the capital.

　　虽然这个禁令不会影响商店和饭店，但这样的决议还是头一次在首都强制执行。

　　Countries out of love with Valentine’s Day

　　不欢迎情人节的国家

　　It comes a year after Pakistan’s President Mamnoon Hussain said Valentine’s Day should be avoided, calling it a Western tradition that was not part of Pakistan’s culture.

　　在决议出台的前一年，巴基斯坦总统马姆努因·侯赛因曾表明情人节应该被避免，称其为西方传统而不是巴基斯坦自己的文化。

　　There have been other localised measures. Last year local officials in Kohat, in north-west Pakistan, banned the sale of Valentine cards and goods, and Peshawar local council banned celebrations.

　　地方政府也采取了相应举措。去年，位于巴基斯坦西北部科哈特地区的官员曾禁止销售情人节卡片和物品。而白沙瓦地方委员会则禁止情人节庆祝活动。

　　However, officials in both places later said the bans had been discarded or ignored for being unpopular.

　　可是，两地官员之后都称这些禁令因为不得人心而被取消或者无视。

　　Love or obscenity?

　　真爱还是下流?

　　This is not the first time that Valentine’s Day has made the news in Pakistan for the wrong reasons. Last year it was vigilantes burning Valentine cards, but now for the first time a court has barred it. Many believe this shows the reluctance of religiously conservative parts of Pakistani society to assimilate international events or ideas.

　　这已经不是第一次因为某些错误的缘由而使得情人节在巴基斯坦登上新闻了。去年是因为义务警员焚烧情人节卡片，今年是因为法庭首次禁止情人节。许多人认为这件事表明了巴基斯坦社会里的宗教保守派不愿意与国际活动和观念接轨。

　　Many religious hardliners believe Valentine’s Day is a foreign idea with no roots in Pakistan. They argue that it is a Christian festival. Last year one conservative newspaper ran an advertisement which described it as "a festival of obscenity". They fear in the future they will also be celebrating Diwali, Christmas and who knows what else.

　　很多宗教强硬派认为情人节是国外的观念，在本地没有根基。他们称情人节在本质上就是一个基督教的节日。去年，一个保守的报纸刊登了一则广告，称其为“一个下流的节日”。他们担心以后国人还会庆祝印度排灯节，圣诞节和其他说不上来的节日。

　　Also creating concern among ordinary Pakistanis is the fact that it is the commercial entities that are out promoting these days to make them spend their hard-earned money. Online stores and restaurants offer special deals, while prices of flowers, especially red roses, soar on the day.

　　此外，让普通巴基斯坦老百姓担心的是商业机构的大力渲染，以此来促使人们花费辛苦赚来的钱。网店和饭店提供节日大酬宾，与此同时，当天鲜花的价格猛增，特别是红玫瑰。

　　But the real problem is probably the narrow definition of the Valentine’s Day message. It is not seen as promoting love, but perceived in a more sexual way.

　　但真正的问题所在可能是对情人节信息的狭隘定义。许多人认为情人节是在推崇性欲，而不是在传播真爱。

　　How the ban is implemented depends on how the government and, especially, the police interpret it. If they think it means going after shops selling Valentine’s Day items, it could mean a ban on them too. But so far we have seen no such action.

　　这个禁令如何实施还得取决于政府和警察对此的理解。如果他们认为售卖情人节物品的店铺需要管理，那么这些店铺可能也要停止售卖。但是目前为止，这种事还没发生。