Metropolis Desk-
After a spate of burnings of the Qur’an in the Scandinavian country infuriated Muslim nations, Denmark on Friday announced that it would outlaw the practice.
Following the response, Denmark increased security earlier this month, as did Sweden, which is nearby and has also recently experienced a wave of Qur’an burnings.
Peter Hummelgaard, the justice minister for Denmark, informed reporters that the government plans to “criminalize the improper treatment of objects of significant religious importance to a religious community.”
He said that public burnings and desecrations were the focus of the proposed legislation.
Burning the Qur’an, according to Hummelgaard, is a “fundamentally contemptuous and unsympathetic act” that “harms Denmark and its interests.”
In Denmark’s penal code, which deals with national security, chapter 12, the new regulation would be mentioned.
A major “motivation” for the prohibition, according to Hummelgaard, was national security.
Late in July, in response to a demand from fiery preacher Moqtada Sadr, around a thousand protestors attempted to march to the Danish embassy in Baghdad’s protected Green Zone.
Hummelgaard added, “We can’t just keep crossing our arms and watching while some people do all in their power to incite violent reactions.
Early in August, as a result of the responses, border restrictions were tightened in Sweden and Denmark. The measure was dropped in Denmark on August 22, although it is still in effect in Sweden.
The proposed Danish law would also apply to the desecration of the Torah, the Bible, or other religious texts, such as a crucifix.
A fine or up to two years in prison could result from breaking the law.
The justice minister stated that caricatures and other “verbal or written expressions” that are hurtful to religious communities will not be covered by the statute.
In response to concerns from several opposition parties who worry that a ban would violate those regulations, he emphasized that Denmark was still strongly committed to its freedom of expression laws.
The prohibition will be introduced to parliament on September 1 and comes six years after Denmark’s 334-year-old blasphemy statute was repealed.
The left-right government, which is in power with a majority in parliament, is predicted to win support for the law.
The Qur’an burnings, according to Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, have “enormous anger in the entire world.”
“We have worked very hard to keep this rage under control. Although the situation is currently peaceful, he warned reporters that it is also unexpected and uncertain.
Before the new law takes effect, he predicted that “in the short term, we’ll probably see more Qur’an burnings rather than less.”
Following the release of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in 2006, a wave of anti-Danish rage and violence erupted in the Muslim world.
After the Qur’an burnings made the nation a “prioritized target,” Sweden last week raised its terror alert level to grade 4 on a scale of 5, according to security authorities.
While maintaining the nation’s rules defending free speech and assembly, which are guaranteed by the constitution, the Swedish government has denounced the desecrations of the Qur’an.
In certain situations, it has committed to look into legal options for putting an end to protests that involve the burning of sacred texts.
Source- Arab News
