Denmark seeks to jail people who burn the Koran for up to two years

People burning the Koran or other religious books in Denmark could face up to two years in prison, under government plans aimed at defusing a crisis with Muslim countries that has led to an increased terrorist threat against the Scandinavian country.

The centrist coalition in Copenhagen will table a bill banning “the inappropriate treatment of objects with significant religious significance” in public places, Denmark’s justice minister Peter Hummelgaard said on Friday.

Both Denmark and Sweden have raised their terror threat levels and faced a huge diplomatic backlash from the Islamic world following protesters repeatedly burning the Koran and occasionally the Torah and Bible in front of foreign embassies.

“These are meaningless insults that have no other purpose than to create discord and hatred,” said Mr Hummelgaard. “When individuals burn the Koran, it is mocking and nasty. It harms Denmark and [its] interests, and risks harming the security of Danes abroad.”

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While two years is the maximum penalty, first-time lawbreakers are most likely to receive a fine while repeat offenders would face “as a starting point, a short prison sentence measured in days”, according to the proposal.

Still, the bill is likely to be deeply controversial given Denmark’s long tradition of protecting free speech. The country has faced outrage from the Islamic world before when a Danish newspaper published a dozen cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in 2005, but at the time the government refused to give in to pressure and alter free-speech protections.

[ Third Koran burning triggers promises of action in Denmark and Sweden ]

[ Sweden prepares for reaction to Koran protests ]

All 57 Muslim countries in the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation have called on Denmark and Sweden to take tough action to stop the burnings. Free speech advocates have warned the two governments that if they give in now, they could face further pressure in the future.

“Congratulation to al-Qaeda and co,” the Liberal Alliance opposition party wrote on social media platform X. “Sad day for Danes. Good day for extremists.”

Rasmus Paludan, a Danish radical who has burnt the Koran in Sweden and Denmark, has said he would find ways around any ban.

Sweden is also looking into how to stop Koran burnings amid fears that it could further delay its Nato membership due to Turkish opposition linked to the issue. Prime minister Ulf Kristersson has said security forces have foiled terror attacks in recent weeks and called it the worst security situation the country has faced in decades.

Mr Hummelgaard said satirical drawings would not be covered by the ban and that broad protection of free speech would remain. But he added that it would be up to the courts to decide what “inappropriate treatment” meant, saying it might include “burning, soiling, trampling on” objects.

“It’s not about not being allowed to say or think what you want. But I fundamentally believe that there are more civilised ways of expressing one’s position than burning things,” the justice minister added.

Danish foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said there had been 170 demonstrations in recent weeks, with many involving the burning of the Koran in front of the embassies of Muslim countries.

“The Koran burnings stand in the way of political efforts to build alliances, as regard the Ukraine war, but also more than that. They serve no other purpose than to create divisions at a time when we need the opposite,” Mr Rasmussen added. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2023