Denmark, fearing reprisals, bans the burning of the Quran
After a series of Quran burnings in Scandinavia caused uproar in Muslim communities, Denmark on Thursday banned the “inappropriate treatment” of religious texts in public.
Under a new law passed by parliament, those found guilty of this crime could be fined or imprisoned for up to two years.
“Koran burnings must be stopped,” said Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard, who presented the law. said on Instagram on Thursday. “We must protect the security of Denmark and the Danes.”
Desecration of the Quran is now prohibited in both public and private spaces if the act is recorded and disseminated.
Like Sweden, Denmark has struggled in recent months to balance a deep-seated commitment to freedom of expression with the anger and outrage the fires have caused in Muslim-majority countries, whose governments have condemned the actions. Governments in both Sweden and Denmark have said the risk of terrorist attacks has increased in recent months.
Because anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiment is widespread, there have been more than 500 demonstrations in Denmark in recent months, Mr. Hummelgaard said, including some involving the burning of the Koran.
A small group of nationalists in Denmark who filmed themselves burning a Quran, and at least two public desecrations of the Quran in Sweden, sparked attacks on countries’ embassies in Iraq and led to their diplomats being summoned by Iranian authorities.
Danish authorities said the fires put the country in a difficult diplomatic situation and that the government could not remain silent. They called the law a targeted intervention intended to protect the safety of Danes abroad and at home.
“The level of terrorist threat against Denmark is alarmingly high,” said a spokesman for the Moderates Party, which is part of the coalition government. “This law was introduced out of necessity, not desire.”
But the measure drew sharp criticism from opponents, including the right-wing Liberal Alliance party. Steffen Larsen, a lawmaker from the Liberal Alliance, said on Thursday during a heated debate in parliament that it was a product of “political correctness” and that it was “designed to restrict freedom of expression and artistic freedom.”
The measure, Mr. Larsen said, is “nothing to be proud of.”
Nina Palesa Bonde, deputy judge at the Copenhagen District Court, also criticized the ban. argument on social media that it protected a text that “is used in many countries as a death sentence for women, Jews and homosexuals.”
Mr Hummelgaard assured that the new law does not prohibit criticism of religion or satirical drawings. But he said that while there should be plenty of room for religious criticism, “destroying books is not a very intelligent way to criticize something you don’t like.”
The Swedish government is also exploring ways to prevent the burning of the Quran, including by expanding an existing public order law that would allow police to refuse a permit to demonstrate on the grounds that it could pose a threat pose for Swedish security, said Nils Funcke. an expert on freedom of expression based in Stockholm.
Christina Anderson reporting contributed.