The Danish parliament has voted to ban the burning of religious scriptures after a series of Qur’an desecrations in the country and neighbouring Sweden.
After months of intensive debate, a bill making it illegal to burn, soil, trample on or cut recognised religious scriptures including the Qur’an, the Bible or the Torah was passed with 94 votes in favour and 77 against.
Over the summer copies of the Qur’an were burned or otherwise damaged during a series of protests in Denmark and Sweden, prompting international uproar. The diplomatic crisis that followed led both governments to say they would look at ways to legally limit such acts.
The Danish government has presented the move as a security measure. Presenting the proposal in August, the justice minister, Peter Hummelgaard, a Social Democrat, said: “It harms Denmark and Danish interests, and risks harming the security of Danes abroad and here at home.”
Those who break the new law could be punished with fines or up to two years in prison.
Some critics claim that Denmark’s motive for introducing the legislation is a desire to have a seat on the 2025-26 UN security council. Others say it will limit freedom of expression. Two opposition parties, the Danish People’s party and the New Right, have called for a referendum on the matter.
“The law is designed to inhibit freedom of expression and artistic freedom. And that’s nothing to be proud of,” Steffen Larsen, legal representative for the Liberal Alliance, told the Danish broadcaster DR.
“History will judge us harshly for this, and with good reason,” said Inger Støjberg, the leader of Denmark Democrats, a rightwing populist party that was against the bill.
Denmark’s government argues that the law, which will continue to permit criticism of religion, will have very little effect on free speech.
When the bill was first presented in August, it came under heavy criticism for what was seen as too loose an interpretation of what was considered sacred. The bill has since been reworked to specify that it only applies to holy books from religions recognised in Denmark.
Sweden has also said it is looking into ways to prevent desecrations of the Qur’an and other religious books, though it has ruled out changing its far-ranging freedom of expression laws.
