KABUL (Reuters) – The Taliban administration has declared that all activities by Sweden in Afghanistan must cease following the recent burning of the Koran outside a mosque in Stockholm. Expressing their outrage, the spokesperson for the Taliban administration, Zabiullah Mujahid, stated, “After the insulting of the holy Koran and granting of permission for insulting of Muslim beliefs … The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is ordering the stopping of all activities of Sweden in Afghanistan.”
Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, Sweden no longer maintains an embassy in the country. However, this order is likely to impact the Swedish non-governmental organization, the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, which has numerous aid workers engaged in various sectors such as health, education, and rural development throughout the country.
Last month, the burning of the Koran by an Iraqi immigrant in Sweden outside a Stockholm mosque ignited widespread condemnation within the Muslim community.
The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan has yet to respond to the Taliban’s order, and the administration has not provided specific details about which organizations will be affected. The aid sector in Afghanistan has already experienced significant challenges due to various restrictions, including limitations on female aid workers, as well as declining financial support for the United Nations-led annual humanitarian plan from donor countries.
Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar and Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan
Credit: The Star : News Feed
