- Denmark plans Koran burning ban after desecration sparks Muslim outrage. Legislation to prevent religious artifact mishandling will be introduced by Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard.
- Following heightened terror threats, Denmark and Sweden tighten borders. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen’s proposal to limit burnings for de-escalation faces opposition from right-wing parties due to free speech concerns.
Denmark’s governmental authorities intend to proscribe the act of burning the Qur’an in the wake of recent instances of desecration that have engendered widespread consternation within the Muslim global community.
In the company of Foreign Affairs Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen (center) and Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen (right), Danish Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard (left) addressed the press, expressing the government’s intent to examine legal avenues for curtailing demonstrations that entail the incendiary treatment of sacred scriptures.
Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard conveyed to the press that an impending legislative proposal shall be introduced, designed to interdict the disrespectful handling of artifacts possessing profound religious significance to any faith community.
He said that the legislation was specifically aimed at burnings and desecrations in public places, reflecting incidents across Denmark and Sweden that have upset many Muslims around the world, inspired fervent protests diplomatic relations with Muslim countries.
It followed comments from Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, who suggested on 31 July that limiting Qur’an burnings could help de-escalate tensions and possible threats in the country.
On the 1st of August 2023, Danish political figures convened for an emergency session at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Copenhagen, Denmark, to deliberate on the responses elicited by the recurrent incineration of the Koran within the country.
Protests this year have seen counter-demonstrations across the Muslim world, inspiring the ire of protestors from Turkey to Indonesia, Iraq and Yemen.
In January, Sweden’s government gave permission to far-right Danish-Swedish politician Rasmus Paludan to burn a Qur’an outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.
In Denmark, a far-right activist group called the Danish Patriots have mounted anti-Muslim demonstrations, standing against what it calls the ‘Islamisation’ of Nordic societies.
Paludan’s protest in January soured relations between Turkey and Sweden, the book burning intended to ‘mark some freedom of speech’ after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan slammed Sweden over the hanging of his effigy in Stockholm by pro-Kurdish activists.
Rising political tensions led Turkey to ultimately demand the extradition of 130 so-called terrorists, using Sweden’s reliance on Turkey’s vote for NATO accession as leverage.
The far-right Danish Patriots set fire to a copy of the Qur’an outside the Iraqi Embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark on 24 July, drawing condemnation from Iraq and other Muslim-majority countries.
Denmark now accommodates more than 250,000 Muslims. The country has banned ‘attire that impairs recognisability’, including religious garments, and banning halal slaughter. Amnesty International said at the time the ban violated women’s rights.
Recently on social media platforms, videos have circulated of Muslims endeavouring to prevent the desecration of the Qur’an in Denmark. These noble efforts were met with a contentious response from the authorities:
Muslims regard the Qur’an as the word of God, transmitted to the Prophet Mohammed by the Angel Gabriel. The desecration of the text is deeply painful for a the revered text of billions of Muslims around the world.
Therefore, as Muslims, we find immense delight in the outcome issued from Denmark, Alhumdulillah. This remarkable result stands as a testament to the potential of collective action and unity in protest.
However, Paludan has been burning the Qur’an since 2017, spanning both Denmark and Sweden. Therefore, a question of paramount significance that necessitates posing is: why the Danish Government has exhibited a protracted delay in initiating any substantive measures in this deplorable act?
Meanwhile in Sweden, policeman in plainclothes tried to silence a Muslim man protesting Salwan Momika’s desecration of the Holy Qur’an in front of Stockholm Mosque yesterday. In a statement to the media Kais Tunisia said, “Momika insults the Quran. He insults us. When we respond, the police immediately warn us not to raise my voice…..They brought the provocateur in front of our mosque, and they gave him a megaphone. We heard his insults… When we react to this, we meet with reaction of the police. I condemn this too.”
Surely it is time for Sweden to now emulate Denmark’s course of action.
