Denmark Takes Stand Against Quran Burnings: New Legislation Marks a Turning Point

Quran Burnings – The Danish parliament barred it from “inappropriate treatment” of religious texts with the help of an act widely known throughout Denmark in the form of Quran legislation.

The offenders now face a fine of up to two years in prison after a vote of 94-77.

It follows a string of blazings against the holy book of Islam, which caused a furor across Muslim countries.

Denmark and its neighbor Sweden have seen recent protests in the streets due to these incidents, causing questions about security issues in Scandinavia.

During the heated debates on Thursday, Denmark’s 179-member parliament called the Folketing, and most opposition lawmakers were against the bill.

“History will judge us harshly for this, and with good reason… It all comes down to whether we determine a restriction on freedom of speech, or whether it is dictated from the outside,” Inger Stojberg, the leader of Denmark Democrats, was quoted according to Reuters media agency.

However, the center-right coalition government headed by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen claimed that expressing criticism of religions would be legal because the bill would have only a slight impact.

In August, in the time that government officials were discussing the changes, ministers declared they wanted to signal a message to the world after having witnessed in a short period 170 protests, which included Quran burns before embassies from foreign countries.

At the time, Denmark’s PET intelligence agency warned that the incidents could increase the risk of terrorist attacks.

Suggested Read: Learning Arabic Language of The Quran

Sweden has also experienced an array of Quran burnings, and the security services have warned of an increasing security situation. In July, the Swedish Embassy in Iraq was set on fire by protesters.

The Swedish government of Stockholm is currently looking into an identical bill.

Both Denmark and Sweden have abolished laws on blasphemy.

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