Aung San Suu Kyi’s name may be dropped from children’s book after parents raise demand
The book, ‘Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls’, features stories about female role models such as Amelia Earhart, Marie Curie and Hillary Clinton.
The authors of children’s book Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, one of the most popular children’s books of 2017, are considering removing Myanmar leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi’s name, after parents demanded that she not be featured in future editions, The Guardian reported.
“We are monitoring the situation closely and we don’t exclude the idea of removing her from future reprints,” authors Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo said.
“As much as 99% of book is inspiring, I found it absolutely disgusting that you have included someone suspected of genocide in the book,” IANS quoted a parent as saying.
The book features a collection of stories about female role models such as American aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart, Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie, American politician Hillary Clinton and tennis legend Serena Williams.
Lakhs of Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar to Bangladesh since August after violence broke out in Rakhine state. Rohingyas have been denied citizenship in Myanmar and are classified as illegal immigrants. The community has been subjected to violence by the Buddhist majority and the Army in Myanmar, though the country has repeatedly denied this claim.
Suu Kyi has faced intense criticism globally for her response to the persecution of Rohingya Muslims in her country. On December 13, she was stripped of the “Freedom of the City of Dublin” award, and in November the Oxford City Council took away her “Freedom of Oxford” title.