After the Danish government announced last July that they would seek a “legal tool” to prevent the series of Quran burnings that rocked the country as well as neighboring Sweden, the Danish parliament recently passed a bill that will outlaw burning the Quran in public places.
After a series of Quran burnings in Scandinavia caused uproar in Muslim communities, Denmark on Thursday banned the “improper treating” of religious texts in public. https://t.co/PexhJpa7m5
— The New York Times (@nytimes) December 8, 2023
The passage of the bill came after Muslims all over the world expressed their outrage and protested over many Quran burnings in Sweden and Denmark, which raised security concerns in these Nordic countries.
The bill, which prohibits the “inappropriate treatment of writings with significant religious importance for a recognized religious community,” was passed with 94 votes in favor of the proposal and 77 against it in the 179-seat Folketing, Denmark’s unicameral parliament on December 7th.
In practical terms, it would be illegal to burn, tear, or defile holy texts such as the Quran in public or in videos that are meant to be spread online. Punishments for breaking the proposed law range from a fine to a maximum of two years in prison. Denmark’s Queen Margrethe would need to formally sign the bill before it takes effect, and she’s expected to sign the bill this month.
The Danish Ministry of Justice said the purpose of the bill was to combat “the systematic mockery” that they perceive has contributed to the intensifying threat of terrorism in the Nordic country, among other countries. Denmark also temporarily tightened border controls in response to the worsening security situation and increasing threats from organizations such as Al-Qaeda.
Denmark and Sweden were at the center of a massive backlash that saw Muslims worldwide protest in response to the series of demonstrations where anti-Islam activists burned copies of the Quran in public, sparking tensions between the Nordic countries and Muslim-majority nations such as Pakistan and Turkey.
In late July, protesters tried to march to the Danish Embassy in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone after calls by influential Shia religious and political leader Moqtada al-Sadr. Protesters in Iraq also stormed the nearby Swedish Embassy in the country and burned it down.
Civilised people can use words to discuss their thoughts and feelings about books and statues and flags. Uncivilised people feel the need to destroy these objects, as if that will fix the problem. Or is it because they recognise their own incapacity to destroy all they fear.
— Don't Call Me Madam (@Margare22433634) December 8, 2023
National police figures show that 483 book or flag burnings were recorded in Denmark from July 21 to October 24. Initially announced at the end of August, the bill was amended after the first draft was criticized for attempting to limit freedom of expression and would be difficult to enforce. The initial draft was intended to cover other objects of significant religious importance.
Denmark has long sought to strike a balance between constitutionally protected freedom of speech, including the right to criticize religion, and national security over fears that Quran burnings would trigger terrorist attacks in the region.
Ah yes, all in the name of free speech and tolerance.
Being terrified of angering extremist radicals and placating their hatred.
Worked great for many countries, what could possibly go wrong?— FreeRadical (@0FreeRadical0) December 8, 2023
Critics in Sweden and Denmark argued that any attempts to limit freedom of expression, including the action of burning Qurans, would undermine hard-fought liberal freedoms in the region.
“History will judge us harshly for this, and with good reason. … What it all comes down to is whether a restriction on freedom of speech is determined by us or whether it is dictated from the outside,” Inger Stojberg, leader of the anti-immigration Denmark Democrats party who opposed the bill, said.
So, you can’t burn any fiction books or just certain ones?
— Clint Szigety (@Cli14171Clint) December 8, 2023
But Denmark’s ruling centrist coalition insisted that the new bill will only have a marginal impact on freedom of speech, and it remains legal to criticize religion in other ways.
Neighboring Sweden is also looking into legal ways to limit Quran burnings in the country without compromising freedom of expression. However, it is taking a different approach by looking into the possibility of allowing the Swedish police to reject applications for protests based on national security.
