Nadine Osman
Following a furious international backlash from Muslim-majority nations, Denmark and Sweden may be considering banning Qur’an burning. The Danish government said on July 31 that it was reviewing measures against “cultural and religious-based attacks” and that Qur’an burnings are aimed at provoking and harming Denmark.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which comprises 57 Muslim states, held an emergency meeting on July 31 where it “condemned” Sweden and Denmark for allowing the protests to continue “under the garb of freedom of expression.”
Denmark’s Foreign Minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, added that 15 countries had condemned his country due to the Qur’an burnings, which he branded “extremely aggressive and reckless” and unrepresentative of Danish society.
The Danish government announced that it would “explore the possibility of intervening in special situations where, for instance, other countries, cultures, and religions are being insulted and where this could have significant negative consequences for Denmark, not least concerning security.
This must of course be done within the framework of the constitutionally protected freedom of expression and in a manner that does not change the fact that freedom of expression in Denmark has a very broad scope,” said Rasmussen.
Swedish Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, said he was in “close dialogue” with his Danish counterpart and that the two nations “share the same analysis: The situation is dangerous, and measures are needed to strengthen our resilience.”
“Sweden is currently being exposed to influence campaigns supported by states and state-like players, whose very purpose is to hurt Sweden and Swedish interests. The recent burning of copies of the Holy Scriptures coincides with a more difficult security policy situation. These events are then repeated incorrectly, sometimes along with direct calls to harm our country,” said Kristersson.
“Sweden has no tradition of burning books or writings just because it is legal. On the contrary, we have a tradition of protecting books and reading them. In addition, Sweden is a country with a strong tradition of respect for different religious practices and for each other. Religious freedom is a Swedish cornerstone.
“Therefore, there are strong reasons to believe that the recent sudden increase in burnings is happening with the intent to divide and scatter and, in different ways, diminish our country’s position internationally.
“A crucial part of our democratic social contract is for the state to secure and guarantee our constitutional rights. Another part of the social contract is that the state should extremely protect Swedish national security and the safety of Swedish citizens both inside and outside the state’s borders.
“The coordinated disinformation campaigns that Sweden is now exposed to worsen the situation for Swedish citizens and companies abroad and weaken security within the country. It increases the risk of brutal terrorist attacks.”
Recently, several high-profile incidents have resulted in the burning or stamping of the Qur’an.
In June, Salwan Momika, an Iraqi Christian refugee, burned a copy of the religious text outside Stockholm’s central mosque.
Following Momika’s second Qur’an destruction last week, Sweden evacuated its embassy staff from Baghdad after protesters stormed the building and set it ablaze. Following this, two Danish far-right activists stamped on a Qur’an and set it alight in a tin foil tray next to an Iraqi flag on the ground outside Iraq’s embassy in Copenhagen.
A Syrian Muslim who obtained permission from the Swedish police to burn the Torah and the Bible in front of the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm on July 15, chose not to burn the sacred books in response to the provocations of burning the Qur’an.
Ahmet Allus said in front of the embassy that he obtained permission to perform this act to draw attention to the fact that no sacred book should be burned.
“I am a Muslim, and I cannot burn sacred and religious books,” he said.
Referring to the provocations of burning the copy of the Qur’an under police protection in Sweden, Allus said: “There is a difference between freedom of expression and insulting ethnic groups. Burning the Qur’an and other religious books should be considered a hate crime. I obtained permission from the police for the act of burning the Torah and the Bible to draw attention to this. I have absolutely no intention of burning any religious book.”
Photo: Syrian Muslim Ahmet Alluş, who was granted permission by Swedish police to burn the Torah and Bible in front of the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm, did not burn the stated sacred books in reaction to the country’s provocations of burning the Quran.
(Credit: Atila Altuntaş/Anadolu Agency)
