Danish parliament passes bill banning Quran burnings, angering free speech absolutists

The Danish parliament on Thursday (Dec 7) passed a bill that makes it illegal for an individual or group to burn copies of the Koran in public places. The passing of the legislation comes after the Scandinavian nation received extreme backlash from the Muslim world over the desecration ofQuran - Islam's holy book.

The law, criminalising the "inappropriate treatment" of religious texts was passed with94 votes in favour and 77 opposed in the 179-seat Folketing. Those who are found breaking the law will risk a fine or imprisonment ofup to two years.

Copenhagen moved towards issuing the ban after theOrganisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in July called on its members to take appropriate action against countries where the Quran was being desecrated.

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History will judge us: Opposition

The ruling centrist coalition government has argued that the new legislation will have a marginal impact on free speech as criticising religion in other ways, remains legal.

The decision did not go down well with the free-speech absolutists of Denmark.Inger Stojberg, leader of the anti-immigrationDenmarkDemocrats party, who opposed the ban said the billundermines the hard-fought liberal freedoms in the region.

"History will judge us harshly for this, and with good reason... What it all comes down to is whether a restriction on freedom of speech is determined by us, or whether it is dictated from the outside," saidStojberg.

Both Denmark and its neighbouring country Sweden have been the hotspots of Quran burning in recent months. According to police figures, between July 21 and October 24 this year, 483 book burnings or flag burnings were recorded in Denmark alone.

Meanwhile, in Sweden, the police and the courts granted permission to burn the Quran leading to numerous protests where the holy book was not only descerated but mocked by the protesters.

However, after receiving strong response from the Muslim world,Sweden is also examining ways to legally limit Quran desecrations and reduce tensions. Earlier this year, Stockholm was forced to heighten its terror alert level to grade four on a scale of five after the Quran burnings made the country a “prioritised target,”, according to the security services.

(With inputs from agencies)