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A6 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 6 July 2023
Quran burnings have Sweden torn between free speech and

respecting minorities

By KARL RITTER and be allowed and that Swe-
JAN M. OLSEN den should resist pressure
Associated Press to re-introduce blasphemy
STOCKHOLM (AP) — A laws, which were aban-
Quran burning and a string doned decades ago in
of requests to approve the this predominantly Luther-
destruction of more holy an but highly secularized
books have left Sweden Scandinavian nation.
torn between its commit- Stockholm police on
ment to free speech and its Wednesday said they had
respect for religious minori- received two new appli-
ties. cations for book-burning
The clash of fundamental protests in the capital: one
principles has complicat- from an individual who
ed Sweden’s desire to join wants to burn the Quran
NATO, an expansion that outside a mosque and an-
gained urgency after Rus- other from someone who
sia’s invasion of Ukraine but wants to burn the Torah
needs the approval of all and the Bible outside Isra-
current members. el’s Embassy.
Turkey has blocked Swedish A third request that involves
accession since last year, “setting a religious text on
citing reasons including fire” had been filed in the
anti-Turkish and anti-Islamic southern city of Helsing-
protests in Stockholm. Indian Muslims hold placards and shout slogans condemning the desecration of Islam’s holy borg, local police chief
Then, last week, an Iraqi book ‘Quran’ in Sweden, during a demonstration in Mumbai, India, Monday, July 3, 2023. Mattias Sigfridsson told The
Christian immigrant burned Associated Press Associated Press.
Islam’s holy book outside a cent protests by a far-right Muslim countries have mentators in Sweden argue Police have not yet decid-
Stockholm mosque during activist, it sparked a de- urged Sweden to enact that the protests should be ed on the requests.
the major Muslim holiday bate in Sweden about the bans and Pakistan’s prime regarded as hate speech, “In Sweden, we have the
of Eid al-Adha, an act that limits of freedom of speech. minister, Shehbaz Sharif, which is outlawed in the freedom of expression. We
the man said displayed his Now, Swedish police say called for a daylong protest country when it targets eth- also respect people who
feelings about the Quran. they have received new to defend the sanctity of Is- nicity or race. have a different opinion
The burning triggered wide- requests for demonstrations lam’s holy book on Friday, But many in Sweden say and the fact that it may hurt
spread condemnation in by individuals who want to when Pakistan’s parliament criticizing religion, even in a some feelings. We have to
the Islamic world. burn the Quran, as well as will discuss Quran burning. manner that is considered look at the law. That is what
And along with similar re- the Torah and the Bible. Even some liberal com- offensive by believers, must we do,” Sigfridsson said.q

UN: Millions left with no aid as West Africa suffers worst hunger

crisis in 10 years

By CHINEDU ASADU West Africa are without aid lion people targeted for said. from the 2015-2022 aver-
Associated Press as the agency struggles food aid during the June Long before last year’s age,” the agency said.
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — The with limited funding to re- to August lean season are flooding and Russia’s war In central Sahel coun-
U.N. World Food Program spond to the region’s worst not receiving any assis- in Ukraine, West Africa al- tries of Mali, Burkina Faso,
said Wednesday that mil- hunger crisis in a decade. tance, the agency said in ready was facing its worst and Niger where jihadists
lions of hungry people in Nearly half of the 11.6 mil- a statement. It warned that food crisis in 10 years with have become increasingly
hundreds of thousands of more than 27 million hungry deadly, U.N. agencies es-
people are at risk of join- people mainly as a result timate that the number of
ing armed groups, getting of conflicts but also due to people fleeing violence
married early or engaging drought and the economic there has nearly quadru-
in “survival sex” in their des- impacts of the COVID-19 pled from 30,000 in January
peration to survive. pandemic. to 110,000 people in June.
“We’re in a tragic situa- Food insecurity in West “We need a twin-track ap-
tion. During this year’s lean and Central Africa is now proach to stop hunger in
season, millions of fami- affecting 47.2 million peo- the Sahel we must address
lies will lack sufficient food ple in this year’s lean sea- acute hunger through
reserves to sustain them son which is when hunger humanitarian assistance
until the next harvests in peaks, the WFP said, with while tackling the structural
September,” said Margot women and children the causes of food insecurity
Vandervelden, WFP interim most vulnerable groups. by increasing investments
regional director for West- “Malnutrition rates have in resilient food systems
Malnourished children wait for treatment in the pediatrics ern Africa. “We must take also surged, with 16.5 mil- and expanding govern-
department of Boulmiougou hospital in Ouagadougou, Burkina immediate action to pre- lion children under 5 set to ment social protection pro-
Faso, on April 15, 2022. vent a massive slide into be acutely malnourished grammes,” Vandervelden
Associated Press catastrophic hunger,” she this year an 83 percent rise added.q