Why Denmark is set to ban Quran burning

In a move seen as painkiller to ease Muslims’ anger over the repeated incidents of burning copies of the Noble Quran, Denmark is set to introduce a bill criminalizing this act before the Folketing (the Danish parliament), raising questions as to whether the bill was drafted due to Muslim countries’ pressure on Copenhagen or because of the fear of security threats as a reaction.

Outside a number of embassies in Denmark and Sweden, copies of the Quran were burned several times by far-right anti-Muslim activists under the guise of “freedom of expression,” in accordance with section 77 of the Danish constitution. The acts provoked the sentiments of more than a billion Muslims worldwide and resulted in several protests being staged in Muslim countries, in addition to calls for boycotting Danish and Swedish products.

In a press conference on Friday, Danish Minister of Justice Peter Hummelgaard announced that the government will put forward a bill prohibiting “inappropriate treatment of objects with religious significance for religious communities,” which includes publicly burning the Quran, the Bible, or the Torah. 

This crime is punishable by a fine or up to two years in prison, Hummelgaard said, adding, “It damages Denmark and Danish interests and risks harming the security of Danes abroad and at home,” Danish weekly newspaper Ugeavisen reported on Friday, August 25.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said the law itself is vital because the “terrorist threat” has intensified after incidents of burning copies of the Quran.

“I hope people here at Christiansborg (where the government and the parliament are located) will take it with seriousness. It needs to be taken,” he was quoted as saying by the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR).

However, the Danish Police Intelligence Service (PET) said in a written reply to the Copenhagen-based Berlingske daily newspaper that the terrorist threat in Denmark has not changed after several burnings of the Noble Quran in the country.

“PET assesses that the terrorist threat against Denmark is at the level of 'serious', which is level four out of five. The recent Koran burnings in Denmark do not give reason to raise the threat level in Denmark,” the newspaper added.

On August 9, Denmark announced that security would be temporarily intensified at borders following the incidents of burning copies of the Quran, upon advice from PET, AFP reported. 

In July, Iraqi protesters tried to storm Baghdad's Green Zone, where the foreign embassies are located, while other demonstrators attacked the Danish Refugee Council in Basra as a protest against burning the Quran in Copenhagen, AFP reported.

This was not the first barrage of criticism against Denmark by Muslims and Arab nations. When Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published 12 cartoon depictions of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in September 2005, which is prohibited in Islam, several attacks targeted Danish diplomatic missions abroad in the Muslim world in 2006, Reuters reported in November 2020.

Moreover, 12 men were handed down prison sentences of 12 years over attempting to attack the newspaper in 2012, Reuters reported.

Pressure from Muslim countries

In the Muslim world, Danish ambassadors and diplomatic representatives were summoned in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, Algeria and Iran to be notified about those countries’ rejection of allowing these blasphemous acts against Islam and Muslims. Also, Islamic institutions like Al-Azhar called for boycotting Danish and Swedish products. 

In comments at a press conference, Danish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Economic Affairs Jakob Ellemann-Jensen was quoted by Danish news agency Ritzaus as saying, “The Government is taking responsibility in a difficult and unsafe situation. Burning, damaging or otherwise destroying the holy scriptures of others serves no other purpose than to provoke for the sake of provocation. It has put Denmark in a difficult situation abroad. The Government cannot sit idly by. Books are not to be burned – they are to be read.”

The Kuwaiti minister of foreign affairs received a call from his Danish counterpart, who confirmed that his country’s government has submitted the Law for Preventing Offending Religions and Beliefs to the parliament in order to prevent crimes of burning the Noble Quran and other religious symbols under the pretext of freedom of expression, according to a statement by the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry on August 26.