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Short version
- Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamed believes the country’s Quranic schools are now safe.
- The president stressed the importance of the country’s seat on the UN Security Council.
- He also discussed the challenges the country faces in terms of extreme drought, war and female genital mutilation.
– When I was young in the 60s, I went to Quranic schools. At that time, Quranic schools were organized in a traditional way. Now we do it officially, in the public school system. This is how we can regulate it.
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (68) is the first Somali president to make an official visit to Norway.
In this interview, he talked about:
- What does he think of Norwegian-Somali children being sent to Quranic schools in Somalia?
- How he views Russia/Ukraine and the war in the Middle East
- How extreme drought and climate change threaten his country
- How is the fight against female genital mutilation progressing?
according to Data for 2022 28,000 Somalis live in Norway. Norwegian children of Somali parents are also included.
Most are Muslims, and some parents wish to send their children to Quranic schools in their own country.
– They can send
House Speaker Masoud Garakhani (AP) 2019When he was a parliamentary representative, he wanted to fine parents or cut child benefits for sending their children to such schools abroad.
President Mohammed said he attended a Quranic school as a child, but he acknowledged that the school had its problems.
– The problem is that there are no systems and regulations in Quranic schools, and some teachers beat children. We avoid this now because they are regulated through the public school system.
– What do they learn in school?
– They learn how to behave, do good things, how to clean, and how to greet and respect the elderly. Things like that.
According to a report by Kenya’s Special Envoy for Integration, Nepal Earlier this year, a growing number of Norwegian-Somali children sought help after their parents sent them to Koranic schools described as “cruel”. somalia.
When asked whether Norwegian Somali parents could safely send their children to somaliathe President responded as follows:
– They can send. The Quranic school is a very large institution, so there may be violence from time to time, but it is not common.
Decades of war and conflict
In early June, there was news that somalia Get one Status in the UN Security Council The next two years.
– We are there for two main reasons. We have to help uphold international law. Always. International law upholds somalia The second is somalia will represent Africa as one of the three countries and will defend the interests of the continent. For example, it is about Free Trade Africa.
The situation in Somalia itself is very unstable after it signed an agreement with neighboring Ethiopia. Business Visits arrive Somaliland Its port is located on the Somaliland coastline.
At the same time, Somalia is one of the poorest countries in the world and has been ravaged by war and conflict since the 1980s. Youth Party Among other things, the group has links to Al-Qaeda.
Mohamed believes that Somalia’s long experience in conflict and war management will be an advantage as they now serve on the Security Council.
When asked how he thought the Russia/Ukraine and Israel/Gaza wars should be resolved, the president reiterated that he would always side with international law.
– This applies no matter how big or powerful a country is. This applies to Gaza, where we see very serious violations of international law that we must protect them from.
These are the issues being discussed by the president during his visit to Norway, where he was invited to be one of the main speakers at the Oslo Forum peace conference hosted by Foreign Minister Espen Bart Eide (AP)
Income of overseas households falls
It is common for Somalis living abroad to send money home to their families, preferably through Hawala– system.
– How important are these contributions to Somalia?
– Very, very important. Expatriates Remittances have always been the backbone of Somalia’s economy and are important to people’s livelihoods.
However, he believes this will become less common over time.
– The first generation who came to Europe from Somalia, they still have ties to Somalia. But the generations born in Europe are not so closely connected to the country. So they may not understand why they should send money there. Therefore, remittances are gradually decreasing.
– It is not easy to implement
Female genital mutilation, or FGM, is widespread in Somalia. population Survey As of 2020, 99% of Somali women aged 15 to 49 have been circumcised.
– What are you doing to address this issue?
– Well, we have banned it. It is no longer legal in Somalia, it is illegal. But it may not be so easy to implement this policy in villages and tribal areas at the moment. But in cities, it has been abolished.
– It’s not legal, but it happens?
– It happened in remote areas. But it has now declined significantly, especially in urban areas.
Female genital mutilation
There are several types of female circumcision. One of them is the Pharaoh’s circumcision. It is considered the most comprehensive type. It involves closing the female genitalia and sewing the inner or outer labia together.
According to the World Health Organization, female circumcision has no health benefits and only breeds resentment. It can cause, among other things, severe pain, heavy bleeding, vaginal problems and psychological issues.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 230 million girls and women have been circumcised today.
Female genital mutilation is considered a violation of the human rights of girls and women.
Four years of drought. Then came El Nino.
Another major challenge facing Somalia is climate change, which is one of the worst-affected countries in the world.
– Climate change has a “significant” impact on Somalia. We have been experiencing drought for four consecutive years, and this year is the fifth year. boyand floods destroyed everything that was left.
– Poor people lost their livestock and their livelihoods. There are many nomadic people in the countryside. They are displaced to towns and have nowhere to go.
But cities don’t have the capacity to accommodate everyone. For Somalia, this is crucial.
– Providing services to everyone in the city is a problem. Health, education, water, sanitation, everything is a problem.
The president also said that much important infrastructure was destroyed in the floods.
– Bridges and highways were washed away. And Somalia’s economy is very weak. We can’t afford to rebuild one.
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