Denmark will introduce a ban on burning the Quran after a series of incidents ignited protests across the Muslim world.
Denmark To Ban Burning Of Korans
Denmark’s justice minister, Peter Hummelgaard, on Friday said that the government plans to ban Koran burnings after a string of desecrations of Islam’s holy book in the Scandinavian nation sparked anger in Muslim countries.
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The new law specifically prohibits “the inappropriate treatment of objects of significant religious importance to a religious community,” said Danish Justice Minister Peter Hummelgard, Al Jazeera reported.
The law, which will be included in the national security section of Denmark’s penal code, according to Al Arabiya, is intended to be integrated into an existing statute that bans the burning of flags of other countries, said Hummelgard.
The bill would also make it a punishable offense to burn a Bible or Torah, Al Jazeera notes.
Those who violate the law would face a fine and possibly two years in prison, according to Al Arabiya.
Hummelgard called Quran burning a “fundamentally contemptuous and unsympathetic act” and said continued demonstrations involving the holy book would “harm Denmark and its interests.” (RELATED: Hundreds Protest Rep. Ilhan Omar, CAIR Fundraiser)
“We can’t continue to stand by with our arms crossed while several individuals do everything they can to provoke violent reactions,” Hummelgard concluded.
The law is in response to a recent string of Quran burning demonstrations in multiple Scandinavian countries, including neighboring Sweden.
Sweden’s embassy in Baghdad was stormed in June after an Iraqi man living in Sweden set fire to the book in Stockholm.
Leaders of the Muslim world have responded to what they view as a desecration of their scriptures. Saudi Arabia chose to go through diplomatic channels, imploring Denmark to put an end to the demonstrations, per Al Arabiya. Turkey is holding up Sweden’s NATO membership over the burnings. And Iraq, where Sweden’s embassy was attacked, expelled the country’s ambassador and suspended work permits for Swedish telecom giant Ericcson, per Al Jazeera.