The Danish parliament on Thursday approved a law criminalizing the inappropriate treatment of texts of great religious significance, effectively banning the burning of the Quran.
The desecration of Islam’s holy book sparked outrage in several Muslim countries last summer.
After a debate that lasted almost four hours, the text was adopted at third reading by 94 out of 179 parliamentarians, according to the French agency AFP.
From now on, it will be forbidden to publicly burn, desecrate or kick religious texts, or to widely distribute images of desecration.
It is also prohibited to tear, cut or stab these texts.
Violators risk a prison sentence of two years.
For the Danish government, it is mainly about protecting the interests and national security of the Scandinavian country, at a time when the terrorist threat has increased.
Denmark and neighboring Sweden have recently been the target of anger from Muslim countries.
In Iraq, Hundreds of protesters supporting influential religious leader Moqtada Sadr attempted to march on the Danish embassy in Baghdad in late July.
Following these disturbances, the Nordic kingdom strengthened border controls for some time before returning to normality on August 22.
Between July 21 and October 24, 2023, 483 fires and flag burnings were recorded in Denmark, according to data from the national police, which did not specify which countries were involved.
Presented at the end of August, the bill was amended after criticism of restrictions on freedom of expression and difficulties in implementation.
Initially, the bill concerned the desecration of all objects of great religious significance, but the media and associations saw it as a return to the crime of blasphemy.
The crime of blasphemy, a 334-year-old provision, was repealed six years ago and punished public insults to religions.
Legal professionals also feared difficulties in applying the law.
During the long plenary debate, the opposition criticized the government and accused it of sacrificing freedom of expression.
“This is treason. A huge desertion of the government,” said the chairman of the far-right Danish Democratic Party, Inger Støjberg.
In 2006, a wave of anti-Denmark violence swept the Muslim world after the publication of caricatures of Mohammed.
“Imagine if we become the generation that restricts freedom of expression. I hadn’t thought about that, let alone after the Mohammed crisis. At that time we stood our ground,” the former minister added.
Once the text is adopted, the law must be published and enter into force the next day.
Denmark is not the only European country that bans the burning of the Koran.
Germany, Austria, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Poland and Romania also ban the burning of Islam’s holy book, according to the Danish Ministry of Justice.
Source: DN
