Denmark has made it illegal to burn the Quran, Islam’s holy book, in public.
The move comes after Denmark and Sweden both saw a large number of protests this year where anti-Islam protesters burned and damaged copies of the Quran.
A Quran is burned by an activist from the small right-wing group, Danish Activists in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Photo by Ole Jensen/Getty Images)
The burnings caused an uproar in Muslim communities, with mass protests breaking out in Muslim-majority countries such as Iraq and Yemen.
People gather to protest against Quran burning in Sweden and Denmark in Karbala, Iraq. (Photo by Karar Essa/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)Yemenis participate in a protest denouncing the burning of Islam’s holy book, the Quran, in Sweden and Denmark, on July 24, 2023 in Sana’a, Yemen. (Photo by Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)
Denmark’s justice minister said that there have been more than 500 demonstrations that included burning Qurans or flags since July alone.
A Quran is burned by an activist from the small right-wing group, Danish Activists, in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Photo by Ole Jensen/Getty Images)
The government has said passing the new law was a matter of national security.
Denmark’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Lars Loekke Rasmussen, Minister of Justice Peter Hummelgaard and Deputy Prime Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen present a bill on a Quran burning ban in Copenhagen. (Photo by MARTIN SYLVEST/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)
It had been concerned that the burnings would trigger terrorist attacks from Islamist extremists.
A Quran is burned by an activist from the small right-wing group, Danish Activists in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Photo by Ole Jensen/Getty Images)
It added that the new law does not forbid criticizing religions and still allows freedom of speech.
People gather to protest against burning of Quran in Denmark on July 22, 2023 in Baghdad, Iraq. (Photo by Murtadha Al-Sudani/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Under the new law, which passed on Thursday Dec. 7, people who break the law could face a fine or up to 2 years in prison.
Yemenis participate in a protest denouncing the burning of Islam’s holy book, the Quran, in Sweden and Denmark. (Photo by Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)People gather to protest against burning of Quran in Denmark in Baghdad, Iraq. (Photo by Murtadha Al-Sudani/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
