After Advocating ‘Freedom of Expression,’ Why Sweden and Denmark Plan to Ban Quran-Burning?
In an unprecedented and noteworthy turn of events, subsequent to their endorsement of the burning and desecration of Quran copies on their territories on seven occasions, as reported by Al-Estiklal, Sweden and Denmark have unveiled intentions to revise their legislation in order to thwart the act of burning sacred texts.
During telephonic deliberations on July 30, 2023, the Prime Ministers of Sweden and Denmark concurred to initiate endeavors aimed at devising strategies to confront the existing freedom of expression laws permitting recurrent acts of sacred book desecration, The Guardian found.
The importance of this step lies in the fact that it comes after Copenhagen and Stockholm had rejected several times confronting these assaults, claiming they cannot prevent them under laws that protect freedom of expression.
Forced Backtracking
On July 30, 2023, the Danish government announced in a statement that it is examining “legal avenues” to halt the burning of sacred texts to avoid security risks due to potential violent reactions in such incidents, according to Reuters.
In an interview with Danish radio on the same day, Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen stated that the government aims to make desecrating the Quran and other religious books in front of foreign embassies illegal, as reported by the Associated Press.
Similarly, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson also said, “In Sweden, we have already started analyzing the legal situation—including the Public Order Act—with the purpose of exploring the scope for measures that would strengthen our national security and the security of Swedes in Sweden and abroad.”
While Kristersson ruled out radical changes to freedom of expression laws, he stated that his government is considering changes that would allow the police to halt Quran burning if it poses a threat to national security.
In justifying the law amendments, Kristersson mentioned that foreigners are using the country’s freedoms to spread hatred, and actions like Quran burning could drag Sweden into international conflicts, according to The Guardian.
He referred to the actions of two Iraqi Christians (Salwan Momika and Salwan Najem) who burned copies of the Quran, followed by an Iranian girl living in Sweden who burned a copy of the Quran on August 3, 2023.
One of them, Salwan Momika, as described by Swedish radio, is a “leader in an Iraqi Christian militia,” although he identifies himself as a “political party leader.”
His social media accounts suggest connections to an armed Christian group in the Iraqi city of Nineveh, his previous place of residence.
The Swedish Prime Minister stated that both Sweden and Denmark share an assessment that their countries would be in a precarious position if dragged into “religious conflicts.”
Not only do foreigners burn copies of the Quran in Sweden and Denmark, as officials from both countries point out, but there are other racist groups also engaging in this behavior.
A right-wing group called Danske Patrioter (Danish Patriots) burned the Quran in front of the Iraqi embassy in Copenhagen on July 25, 2023.
Among these extremists is the leader of the Danish political party Stram Kurs (Hard Line), Rasmus Paludan, and the organization Stop Islamization of Norway (Stopp islamiseringen av Norge, SIAN), which previously burned two copies of the Quran and threw them in a trash bin.
The Danish Nationalists group was established in 2021 by Tuk Onzen Lorenzen, an extremist Danish right-wing activist who split from the more widespread far-right organization, Stram Kurs, founded by prominent Swedish-Danish extremist Rasmus Paludan in 2017, known for its hostility toward Islam and immigrants.
A report by the Danish newspaper REDOX on November 8, 2022, indicates that the group is known for sympathizing with Nazis and has previously participated in disrupting anti-Nazi demonstrations in Denmark.
The announcement of changing laws to prevent Quran desecration by the government stirred controversy in Denmark. Political parties were divided, with some supporting the move as a means of protecting national security.
Opponents argue that this contradicts the principle of freedom of expression. Legal experts cited that it is easy for the parliament to enact laws criminalizing the burning of the Quran and other sacred texts.
‘Blasphemy Laws’
Denmark had a law called the “Blasphemy Law,” established in 1866, but it had rarely been used to prosecute anyone since its enactment and was abolished in 2017.
Sweden abolished this law in the 1970s after it had been in place since the 17th century.
The blasphemy law prohibits insulting religions, which includes actions of disrespect or ridicule towards gods, holy objects, or anything considered sacred or venerable.
Out of 198 countries and regions globally, 79 have laws or policies that prohibit blasphemy.
Sweden and Denmark see “freedom of expression” as a constitutional right, and they consider insulting religion or desecrating religious texts like the Quran as legal actions. This was stated by Marten Schultz, a law professor at Stockholm University, to CNN on August 2, 2023.
In 1971, when two individuals broadcasted a song that mocked Christianity and sparked controversy around female sexuality, they were prosecuted under the blasphemy law but were acquitted.
Earlier, in 1946, when a man dressed as a priest and performed a puppet show at a costume party, the law was invoked, but no one was convicted of the crime, according to The New York Times on July 31, 2023.
In February 2017, Danish prosecutors charged a man with “blasphemy” for burning a copy of the Quran in his backyard, causing shock in the country, which values its secular laws, out of fear of angering Islamic countries.
The man was initially legally charged with hate speech before the indictment was amended to blasphemy. He was supposed to be tried in June 2017, but the Danish parliament abolished the law before the trial even took place!
These images provoked anger among Muslims, leading to protests outside Swedish and Danish embassies in Arab and Islamic countries, as well as trade boycotts against Denmark. However, Danish prosecutors at that time refused to accuse the newspaper editors of blasphemy.
Western countries typically have laws against hate crimes, which target incitement against individuals due to religion, gender, age, health status, social status, or sexual orientation.
Islamic Reaction
A significant factor behind Sweden and Denmark’s change of course was the protests witnessed in several Islamic countries, where ambassadors from Sweden and Denmark were summoned, and threats of cutting diplomatic relations were made, alongside campaigns to boycott their goods.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, representing 57 Islamic countries, held a special session on July 31, 2023, to discuss religious insults against Islam. It condemned Quran burnings as “despicable acts of aggression” and called for United Nations intervention.
In a 35-point action plan, the organization urged the UN Secretary-General to appoint a special rapporteur to combat Islamophobia and encouraged all governments to fully implement existing laws or enact new legislation if necessary.
The consecutive desecrations of the sanctity of the Noble Quran in Sweden and Denmark sparked widespread anger in Islamic countries, expressed through both popular and official means.
Prominent public reactions came from Iraq, where angry protesters demonstrated outside the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad on July 20, 2023.
Matters escalated into more violent scenes as protesters stormed the embassy, setting parts of it on fire.
The Iraqi government expelled the Swedish ambassador and severed relations with Sweden. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkiye also condemned the repeated copies of Quran burning incidents and summoned Swedish ambassadors while strongly criticizing these events.
On July 26, the al-Azhar al-Sharif issued a statement calling on Islamic nations to boycott products from Sweden and Denmark in response to their permission for “terrorist criminals” to burn copies of the Noble Quran.
The statement also urged the international community to impose deterrent sanctions to halt the savage racist campaigns against Islam and Muslims and to adopt an international initiative that criminalizes disrespect to religious sanctities.
Both Sweden and Denmark fear the deterioration of their economic relations with Islamic countries as calls for boycotting Swedish and Danish products increase across these nations.
Sweden’s exports to Arab countries were estimated at around $4.33 billion in 2022. This figure could plummet if the boycott calls are heeded by these countries, as reported by CNN on August 4.
In 2023, CNN reported that Danish exports to Islamic countries decreased by 31%, while countries like Finland benefited from the boycott, offering competitive alternatives to Danish products.
