Denmark Aims to Legally Prevent Quran Burnings

Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said that the government will look at intervening when 'other cultures, countries and religions' are insulted.

Lars Lokke Rasmussen, the Danish Foreign Minister, said that the Danish government would try to find legal ways to stop the burning of Quran copies in front of embassies of other countries in Denmark.

"The burnings are deeply offensive and reckless acts committed by few individuals. These few individuals do not represent the values the Danish society is built on," Rasmussen mentioned.

"The Danish government will therefore explore the possibility of intervening in special situations where, for instance, other countries, cultures, and religions are being insulted, and where this could have significant negative consequences for Denmark, not least with regard to security," he said.

In recent weeks, protests in which the Quran (the Islamic holy book) was damaged or burnt have brought Denmark and Sweden into the spotlight.

In a statement released on Sunday, Swedish Premier Ulf Kristersson stated that he was in constant contact with Mette Frederiksen of Denmark and that Sweden had already begun a similar procedure.

"We have also started to analyse the legal situation already ... in order to consider measures to strengthen our national security and the security of Swedes in Sweden and around the world," Kristersson shared in a post on Instagram.

Outrage among Muslims

In the Danish capital, this month, activists of the far right have burned the holy book of Islam in public in front of embassies from Iraq, Egypt, and Turkey.

Two members of ultra-nationalist Danish Patriots set a Quran alight on Monday in a tin tray with an Iraqi flag.

Salwan Momika (37), an Iraqi living in Sweden, set the holy book on fire by stomping it.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates have all protested against the public burnings that took place in Scandinavia. Iran, Morocco, Qatar, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia also joined the chorus of outrage.

Sweden and Denmark both condemned the burning of Korans, but said that they could not prevent it because of their laws protecting freedom of speech.

In response to several recent burnings, the United Nations Human Rights Council approved a new resolution this month on religious hate and bigotry.

Pakistan, other countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and a few non-Muslim countries such as India and Vietnam supported the motion. The United States, as well as the European Union, opposed the resolution because it interfered in freedom of speech.

Rasmussen said in his statement that any measure taken "must of course be done within the framework of the constitutionally protected freedom of expression and in a manner that does not change the fact that freedom of expression in Denmark has very broad scope".

Source: aljazeera.com