Denmark bans burning of Quran after series of desecrations in the country anger Muslim countries

The Danish government will ban the burning of the Koran following desecrations in recent months that have sparked outrage across the Muslim world, an official said today.

Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard told reporters the government would introduce legislation which would “prohibit the inappropriate treatment of objects of significant religious importance to a religious community”.

He said the legislation specifically targeted arson and desecration in public places, mirroring incidents in Denmark and Sweden that have damaged diplomatic relations with Muslim countries and sparked fierce protests.

Denmark’s government said in July it would seek a ‘legal tool’ to ban Quran burning, citing security concerns – and calling on right-wing groups to criticize the move, which denounced the move as an attack on freedom of speech.

Danish Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard (left), alongside Foreign Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen (centre) and Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen (right), told reporters the government would explore legal means to put an end to demonstrations involving the burning of sacred texts.

The decision to ban the desecration of religious objects follows a move earlier this month by Sweden and Denmark to tighten border controls after Swedish security services ruled that such “demonstrations” had placed the country in an “increased terrorist threat”.

The Danish Ministry of Justice said earlier this month that it should “focus more on people entering Denmark, in order to respond to specific and current threats”.

This followed comments by Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, who suggested on July 31 that limiting the burning of the Koran could help defuse the situation.

But right-wing parties in Sweden and Denmark have denounced the moves, with some saying freedom of speech cannot be compromised.

This year’s protests have sparked counter-protests across the Muslim world, inspiring the ire of protesters from Turkey to Indonesia to Iraq to Yemen.

In January, the Swedish government allowed far-right Danish-Swedish politician Rasmus Paludan to burn a Koran outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm.

Paludan has been burning Qurans since 2017 in both countries.

In response, protests erupted across the Islamic world, and people in Iraq and Palestine were pictured angrily desecrating Swedish flags.

Both Indonesia and Turkey summoned their Swedish envoys after the book burning.

The Afghan Foreign Ministry called on the Swedish government to “punish the perpetrators” and put an end to “such despicable and provocative anti-Islamic and anti-Muslim acts”.

In Denmark, a far-right activist group called the Danish Patriots has staged anti-Muslim protests, opposing what it calls the “Islamization” of Nordic societies.

The desecration events have also strained diplomatic relations between Scandinavian and Muslim countries, despite widespread condemnation from the governments of Denmark and Sweden.

The Paludan protest in January soured relations between Turkey and Sweden, with the book burning aimed at ‘marking some freedom of expression’ after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized Sweden for hanging his effigy in Stockholm by pro-Kurdish activists.

Growing political tensions led Turkey to eventually demand the extradition of 130 so-called terrorists, using Sweden’s confidence in Turkey’s vote to join NATO as leverage.

Yemenis take part in a demonstration denouncing the burning of Islam’s holy book, the Koran, in Sweden and Denmark on July 24, 2023 in Sanaa, Yemen.

Yemenis take part in a demonstration denouncing the burning of Islam’s holy book, the Koran, in Sweden and Denmark on July 24, 2023 in Sanaa, Yemen.

On July 24, the far-right Danish Patriots set fire to a copy of the Koran outside the Iraqi embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark, prompting condemnation from Iraq and other Muslim-majority countries.

The group claims to take a stand against the perception of an “Islamization” of the Nordic countries.

Denmark, like many European countries, experienced a demographic shift after World War II.

This included large-scale immigration from Muslim countries from the 1950s, many of whom were fleeing conflict, poverty and oppression in the Balkans, Anatolia and North Africa.

In 1973, the government restricted immigration to the country, before relaxing the rules and welcoming many people fleeing political persecution.

Similarly, in Sweden, many Kurds fled Turkey in the 1980s. Sweden agreed to crack down on migrants wanted by Turkey for “terrorism”.

Denmark is now home to over 250,000 Muslims. The country has sought integration, banning “dress that undermines recognizability”, including religious clothing, and banning halal slaughter.

Amnesty International said at the time that the ban violated women’s rights.

In 2009, a US State Department report documented isolated incidents of discrimination against immigrants.

The report said: “There have been isolated incidents of anti-immigrant sentiment, including graffiti, minor assaults, denial of service and employment discrimination on racial grounds.

“Societal discrimination against religious minorities was difficult to distinguish from discrimination against ethnic minorities.

“The government has criticized these incidents and investigated many of them, but brought few cases to court specifically on charges of racial discrimination or hate crimes.

“Reports point to incidents of desecration of graves of ethnic and religious minorities. »

Danish politicians hold a crisis team meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Copenhagen, Denmark, on August 1, 2023, following reactions following the repeated Koran burnings in Denmark.

Denmark and Sweden have struggled to deal with attacks on religious groups, despite touting freedom of religion and expression.

So far, no law in Denmark or Sweden specifically prohibits the burning or desecration of the Koran or other religious texts.

Muslims consider the Koran as the word of God, transmitted to the Prophet Muhammad by the angel Gabriel.

Profaning the text is considered a serious offense of blasphemy deserving severe punishment.