In response to security and diplomatic concerns, Denmark is contemplating banning protests involving the burning of the Quran and other religious texts.
The Danish foreign ministry has acknowledged the importance of safeguarding freedom of expression, which is enshrined in the Danish constitution, but asserts that such demonstrations only serve to benefit extremists and pose a security risk.
Copenhagen is exploring legal avenues to intervene in certain situations, particularly protests taking place outside embassies. Sweden has also indicated it has initiated a similar process.
Danish foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said in an interview with the Danish public broadcaster DR that the burning of holy scriptures “only serves the purpose of creating division in a world that actually needs unity”.
“That is why we have decided in the government that we will look at how, in very special situations, we can put an end to the mockery of other countries, which is in direct conflict with Danish interests and the safety of the Danes,” he said.
Both Denmark and Sweden have faced mounting pressure in recent weeks after controversial protests where Islam’s sacred book was destroyed had received permission from authorities. Those events have heightened diplomatic tensions with several Muslim-majority nations.
The Danish and Swedish envoys have been summoned in various countries. In Iraq and Pakistan, thousands of people also took to the streets to demonstrate against Quran burnings.
These protests have reached a level where Denmark “is being viewed as a country that facilitates insult and denigration of the cultures, religions, and traditions of other countries” in many parts of the world, according to the Danish Government.
On July 20, an enraged mob stormed the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad and set it on fire. That was in response to an Iraqi Christian refugee burning a Quran outside Stockholm’s central mosque. He was then granted permission to destroy another Quran by the Swedish police.
Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said he is in close contact with his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen and that a similar process regarding such burnings was underway in Sweden. Stockholm has also raised its terrorism alertness following several incidents involving Quran-related matters.
The Swedish Quran-burning protests are also cited as one of the main reasons Turkey is blocking the ascension of the country into NATO. Turkey’s foreign minister Hakan Fidan on July 30 urged Sweden to take concrete steps to prevent the burnings, according to a Turkish foreign ministry source.
In a phone call, Fidan told his Swedish counterpart Tobias Billström that a continuation of such “vile actions” under the guise of freedom of expression was unacceptable, the source said.
One notorious Quran-burner is Rasmus Paludan, an anti-Islam activist with both Danish and Swedish nationality who has roused ire on both sides of the border. He has staged several events where he burned holy Islamic scripture.
On July 24, two other anti-Islam activists held a protest in which they burned a Quran. An Arab woman tried to stop them but was arrested by the Swedish police.
A Muslim woman tries to stop the Quran burning in Denmark and gets tackled.
Chicken defending KFC. pic.twitter.com/2Rq6ZYbdIb
— Imtiaz Mahmood (@ImtiazMadmood) July 25, 2023
