COPENHAGEN/KUWAIT: Denmark on Friday said it plans to ban Holy Quran burnings after a string of desecrations of Islam’s holy book in the Scandinavian nation sparked anger in Muslim countries. Denmark stepped up security earlier this month following the backlash. The Danish government intends to “criminalize the improper treatment of objects of significant religious importance …
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COPENHAGEN/KUWAIT: Denmark on Friday said it plans to ban Holy Quran burnings after a string of desecrations of Islam’s holy book in the Scandinavian nation sparked anger in Muslim countries. Denmark stepped up security earlier this month following the backlash. The Danish government intends to “criminalize the improper treatment of objects of significant religious importance to a religious community”, Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard told reporters. He said the proposed legislation was aimed especially at burnings and desecrations in public places.
Hummelgaard said Holy Quran burnings were a “fundamentally contemptuous and unsympathetic act” that “harm Denmark and its interests”. The new legislation would be included in chapter 12 of Denmark’s penal code, which covers national security. Hummelgaard said that national security was the main “motivation” for the ban. Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Salem Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah said Saturday that his Danish counterpart Lars Rasmussen had notified him of a proposed draft law that would make it illegal to desecrate religions and beliefs.
He said that the Danish minister told him that his government had proposed a piece of legislation that would make it illegal to desecrate the Holy Quran and religious leaders under the pretext of freedom of expression and opinion. He quoted Rasmussen as saying that the Danish government attaches much attention to this issue and seeks to maintain its relationships of friendship and cooperation with the entire international community. Sheikh Salem Al-Sabah thanked the Danish minister for informing him of the law, along with his country’s response to the requests of Kuwait and all Muslim countries and organizations.
He regarded this as a positive step towards the prevention of crimes of burning copies of the Holy Quran and condemnable practices that fuel grudge and hatred. He underlined the significance of stopping such acts that run counter to all moral and human principles and values, and directly jeopardize international peace and harmony. The Kuwaiti foreign minister, further, called on the governments of other countries which witnessed crimes of burning copies of the Holy Quran to follow suit and enact laws that prevent the desecration of religions.
Nearly a thousand protesters attempted to march to the Danish embassy in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone in late July, following a call by firebrand cleric Moqtada Sadr. “We can’t continue to stand by with our arms crossed while several individuals do everything they can to provoke violent reactions,” Hummelgaard said. Denmark beefed up border controls in early August as a result of the reactions. It ended the measure on Aug 22. The proposed Danish legislation would also apply to desecrations of the Bible, the Torah or, for example, a crucifix.
Those who break the law risk a fine or up to two years in prison. The law will however not encompass “verbal or written expressions” offensive to religious communities, including caricatures, the justice minister said. Hummelgaard stressed Denmark remained firmly committed to its freedom of expression laws, amid criticism from several opposition parties who fear a ban would infringe on those. The ban, due to be presented to parliament on Sept 1, comes six years after Denmark abolished its 334-year-old blasphemy law.
The bill is expected to pass through parliament, where the left-right government holds a majority. Rasmussen said Friday the Quran burnings had sparked “enormous anger in the entire world”. “We have made great efforts to contain this anger. At the moment the situation is fairly calm, but it’s also uncertain and unpredictable,” he told reporters. He said that in the “short term, we’ll probably see more Quran burnings rather than less” before the new law goes into force. In 2006, a wave of anti-Danish anger and violence erupted in the Muslim world following the publication of caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). – Agencies
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