《中英對照讀新聞》UAE mosque's shoe theft阿聯清真寺上演鞋子失竊記

◎羅彥傑

More and more of Dubai's well-heeled Muslim men are removing their shoes outside mosques before they pray, according to custom, and when they exit are discovering that their shoes have been stolen, police say.

杜拜有愈來愈多的富裕回教徒男子，依照習俗在祈禱前先脫鞋於清真寺外，當他們離開時，卻發現鞋子已被偷走，警方說。

“The police have posted officers at the gates of mosques during prayer times, especially on Fridays, to arrest the thieves red-handed,” a government official told the English-language Khaleej Times.

「警方已在祈禱時段於各清真寺大門口安排警力，特別是在週五，希望當場逮捕竊賊，」一名政府官員告訴英文「海灣時報」。

The problem has spread to the nearby affluent Gulf emirate of Sharja, according to a police source.

這個問題已蔓延至鄰近富裕的波斯灣沙迦邦，據警方一名消息人士說。

“More than 40 complaints of shoe theft from mosques are received every month by various police stations” in Sharja, he said.

沙迦「各警局每個月都會接獲超過40件的清真寺偷鞋案件」，他說。

Police, who have recently succeeded in arresting culprits red-handed, have learned that the stolen shoes are being copied and sold on foreign markets.

警方最近成功逮捕一些現行犯，並查到這些失竊的鞋子被人仿冒，並轉賣到外國市場。

“The thieves confessed to the police that they were stealing only expensive shoes with unique designs not available in the United Arab Emirates markets,” said the police source.

「竊賊向警方坦承，他們只偷昂貴且經過獨特設計、在阿拉伯聯合大公國的市場上買不到的鞋子，」這名警方消息人士說。

新聞辭典

well-heeled：形容詞，富裕的、穿著闊氣的。例句：Angela wants to marry a well-heeled businessman. （安琪拉想嫁給一位有錢的商人。）

red-handed：形容詞，正在做案的、現行犯的。例句：The thief was caught red-handed with the loot.（這名竊賊被人贓俱獲。）

affluent：形容詞，豐富的、富饒的。例句：This region is affluent in natural resources.（本地區的天然資源豐富。）

culprit：名詞，罪犯、元兇。例句：Obesity is thought to be the primary culprit for children's diabetes.（肥胖被認為是兒童罹患糖尿病的主因。）