Denmark criminalizes Quran burnings

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
7 Dec 2023 18:52

Violators face fines or up to two years in prison.

Denmark's Minister of Justice Peter Hummelgaard talks to the media after a vote on a new law against inappropriate treatment religious texts, in Copenhagen, Denmark on December 7, 2023. (AP)

Denmark's parliament on Thursday passed a law criminalizing the "inappropriate treatment" of religious texts, specifically targeting Quran burnings.

The move is a response to several instances where so-called activists desecrated copies of the Quran over the summer, which sparked outrage in Muslim nations.

The legislation, approved with 94 votes in favor and 77 opposed, prohibits the mistreatment of writings with religious significance.

The law bans public acts of burning or tearing holy texts, and violators face fines or up to two years in prison.

Over the summer, Denmark and Sweden faced anger from Muslim nations due to the Quran protests.

In July, around a thousand protesters attempted to march to the Danish embassy in Baghdad's Green Zone following a call by cleric Moqtada Sadr.

In response to heightened security concerns, Denmark temporarily implemented stricter border controls, reverting to normal on August 22.

Between July 21 and October 24, the country recorded 483 instances of book or flag burnings.

Initially announced in late August, a bill addressing these incidents was modified due to concerns that its original version restricted freedom of expression and posed enforcement challenges.

Originally intended to cover objects of significant religious importance, the initial draft faced criticism from various quarters, including politicians, artists, media, and freedom of speech experts, who viewed it as a potential revival of Denmark's abolished blasphemy law in 2017.