Denmark’s parliament has passed a law criminalizing the “inappropriate treatment” of religious texts, effectively prohibiting the burning of the Holy Quran. The move comes in response to a series of desecrations of the holy book that sparked outrage in Muslim countries during the summer.
The legislation, which received 94 votes in favor and 77 opposed in the 179-seat Folketing, aims to protect against systematic insults to religious texts.
The law specifically prohibits the public burning, tearing, or other forms of defilement of holy texts, either in person or in videos intended for widespread dissemination. Violators of the law could face fines or up to two years in prison. The legislation will be evaluated after three years.
The Associated Press notes that works of art where a desecration is a minor part but is part of a larger artistic production are not covered by the ban.
Denmark faced protests and anger from Muslim countries over the summer due to burnings and desecrations of the Holy Quran. The adopted law is a response to the incidents that led to tightened border controls in Denmark temporarily.
Between July 21 and October 24, 2023, Denmark recorded 483 book burnings or flag burnings, according to national police figures. The bill, initially announced in August, underwent amendments following criticism that its first draft limited freedom of expression and resembled a blasphemy law, which Denmark abolished in 2017.
Sweden is also considering ways to legally address desecrations of the Holy Quran, exploring options related to national security considerations when deciding on applications for public protests.
