Denmark seeks to legally prevent burnings of Koran and other religious scriptures
- Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said the government ‘will look at how, in very special situations, we can put an end to mockery of other countries’
- A recent string of public Koran desecrations by anti-Islam activists in Denmark and neighbouring Sweden have sparked angry protests in Muslim countries
Denmark’s foreign minister said on Sunday the government will seek to make it illegal to desecrate the Koran or other religious holy books in front of foreign embassies in the Nordic country.
Foreign Minister Lars Lokke 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 mockery of other countries, which is in direct conflict with Danish interests and the safety of the Danes,” he said.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation has called an emergency remote meeting on Monday to discuss the Koran burnings in the two countries.
Lokke Rasmussen said the cabinet of Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is determined to find “a legal tool” to prohibit such acts without compromising freedom of expression, but he acknowledged that would not be easy.
“There must be room for religious criticism, and we have no thoughts of reintroducing a blasphemy clause,” he told DR. “But when you stand up in front of a foreign embassy and burn a Koran or burn the Torah scroll in front of the Israeli embassy, it serves no other purpose than to mock.”
His comments followed a statement issued late on Sunday by the Danish government saying freedom of expression is one of the most important values in Danish society.
But, it added, the desecration of the Muslim holy book in Denmark has resulted in the nation being viewed in many places around the world “as a country that facilitates insult and denigration of the cultures, religions, and traditions of other countries.”
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The government repeated its condemnation of such desecrations, say they are “deeply offensive and reckless acts committed by few individuals” and “do not represent the values the Danish society is built on.”
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Sunday on Instagram that his government is analysing the legal situation regarding desecration of the Koran and other holy books, given the animosity such acts are stirring up against Sweden.
“We are in the most serious security policy situation since the Second World War,” Kristersson said.
Kristersson said he had held talks with Frederiksen and that they agreed the situation was dangerous.
“We need to take measures to strengthen our resilience,” he said on Instagram.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday urged Sweden to take concrete steps to prevent burnings of the Koran, a Turkish foreign ministry source said.
In a phone call, Fidan told his Swedish counterpart Tobias Billstrom that continuation of such “vile actions” under the guise of freedom of expression was unacceptable, the source said.
The Swedish government said this month that it would examine whether it could change Sweden’s Public Order Act to give police the possibility to stop demonstrations that threatened Sweden’s security.
“Ultimately it is about defending our free and open societies, our democracy and our citizens’ right to freedom and security,” Kristersson said.
Billstrom declined to comment.
Additional reporting by Reuters
