The Danish government will try to find legal means that will enable authorities to prevent the burning of copies of the Quran in front of other countries’ embassies in Denmark, Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen has said.
“The burnings are deeply offensive and reckless acts committed by few individuals. These few individuals do not represent the values the Danish society is built on,” Rasmussen said in a statement on Sunday.
“The Danish government will therefore 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 with regard to security,” he said.
Denmark and Sweden have found themselves in the international spotlight in recent weeks following protests where the Quran, the Islamic holy book, has been damaged or burned.
In a separate statement on Sunday, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said he had been in close contact with his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen, and that a similar process was already under way in Sweden.
“We have also started to analyse the legal situation already … in order to consider measures to strengthen our national security and the security of Swedes in Sweden and around the world,” Kristersson said in a post to Instagram.
Outrage in Muslim countries
This month, far-right activists have carried out a number of public burnings of Islam’s holy book in front of the Iraqi, Egyptian, and Turkish embassies in the Danish capital.
On Monday, two members of the ultra-nationalist Danish Patriots stomped on a copy of the Quran and set it alight in a tin foil tray next to an Iraqi flag.
Earlier this month in Sweden, an Iraqi citizen living in the country, Salwan Momika, 37, stomped on the holy book and set several pages alight.
The public burnings in the Scandinavian countries have sparked widespread outrage across Muslim countries, with Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Morocco, Qatar and Yemen lodging protests in response.
Sweden and Denmark have said they deplore the burning of the Koran but cannot prevent it under their rules protecting freedom of expression.
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) earlier this month approved a resolution on religious hatred and bigotry following several burnings.
Pakistan and other Organisation of Islamic Cooperation countries backed the motion, along with a number of non-Muslim majority countries including India and Vietnam. The United States and the European Union opposed the resolution on the grounds it interfered with freedom of expression.
In his statement, Rasmussen added that whatever measure was taken “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 very broad scope”.
I hoped it was clickbait, but it isn’t. What the fuck Denmark.
Oil money my friend, oil money can buy everything.
Maybe acknowledge that if you want to attack or even kill someone for burning a stupid book, the problem lies with the attacker, not the book burner.
Fuck religion.
I’m an Ex-christian. Religion has provoked plenty of suffering against me and my family through my life. I want to have the right to burn a Bible. The same way, I want Ex-muslims to have the right to burn the Quran.
I’m an exmuslim and dont see the point of desecration. It isnt going to change anyones mind or bring me acceptance (in fact I’d argue it will do the opposite). I want my worldview to be seen as rational and respectable, not angry and represented by empty acts.
I will however defend the right to criticize and say controversial things about Islam that have actual substance to them.
Desecration shows that there’s no god reacting to the offense. It is a rational attack on faith.
This logic doesn’t hold up to any level of critical analysis. Burning a physics textbook doesn’t prove there’s no gravity reacting to the offense. Does Islam maintain as a tenet that God will strike down someone burning a copy of the Quran?
I’m not even sure, and most believers probably can’t answer that. If it’s not written down, it’s probably an unspoken rule. This type of rule exists as a common fallacy and a bias called the “Just World” fallacy. There’s an entire site dedicated to it, since it’s so important:
So what you’re really saying is, you don’t know. You’re assuming.
I’m saying that I can’t be bothered by your comment to look it up, even if I know I’ll find the evidence.
If this was an “evidence-based” thread, I’d make an effort, but it isn’t.
Islam went through persecution during its formative period, by the religious and political status quo that existed (only to later go to war, subjugate other religions, enslave). The Quran already has explanations and consolations for persecution so they will rationalize the burnings using these.
Kindly, “where is your god now” will have no effect, assuming they look at it that way to begin with. That will be at the cost of ruining our (exmuslims) reputation, which imo isnt worth it.
A persecution complex is built-in as a default feature for the Abrahamic ones. I’m sure it’s not unique to them, but it’s a default feature, part of the marketing.
The cult dynamic of creating a cult identity works very nicely with converting criticism into a positive feedback loop for belief fervor. Instead of criticism being received honestly and evaluated accordingly, it’s seen as conspiracy and mysterious/sinister/occult oppression. It’s most obvious with the martyr fallacy, the notion that: “someone died for some idea/story/prophecy, therefore the story is true!”. The past few years of pandemic have demonstrated repeatedly that it is a fallacy. And the backfire effect has its limits.
Kindly, “where is your god now” will have no effect, assuming they look at it that way to begin with. That will be at the cost of ruining our (exmuslims) reputation, which imo isnt worth it.
It’s precisely for the doubters. The believers who are comfortable do not care.
Deeming some story “sacred” is an appeal to authority, some ancient authority usually (so, to tradition), and it’s used as a defense against criticism… against even trying to think about criticism. It marks some idea, some premise, as unquestionable. So ruining the illusion of sacredness is an important step in allowing inspection and criticism. Go ahead and ask exbelievers when they started to doubt and if they had fear of doubting in the first place.
As stupid provoking those medieval idiots is, it definitely shouldn’t be illegal. If I decide to start my grill with Quran in order to make me a dinner of pork chops, or draw Mohamed on piece of paper in order to pick up my dog’s shit with it, it definitely shouldn’t be illegal. Same way as saying Jesus is technically a zombie isn’t illegal.
As stupid provoking those medieval idiots is, it definitely shouldn’t be legal.
I think you mean illegal.
Removed by mod
They never actually burned the Torah. Both of the protestors that filed for permits for that backed out - one burned a blank sheet of paper instead.
They were just being performative and expected the Swedish police to be hypocrites, and were surprised when stuck to their values and didn’t deny permission.
That is a valid concern. Maybe they should deal with that instead of appeasement? These powerful governments can’t run a counter-intelligence program inside their own nation?
Do you have a source for the demonstrations being backed by Russia? I had only ever heard about the Iraqi man burning the koran before I read through this thread. I didn’t know there were multiple instances of this.
Technically hes a lich
This guy technicallies
Based on the rest of your comment, I think you missed an “il” at the beginning there.
They’re only seeking to make it illegal in front of embassies, not in general. For now at least.
Nods in Neville Chamberlain
Removed by mod
I think that the actual burning is just a symbol - that says, “fuck your book!”. If burning is prohibited, people will just turn to whatever other method is available to them. It becomes a game of whack a mole, with people moving to new and creative ways until in the end just holding it up or something gets to mean the exact same thing. Or something like that.
Removed by mod
No, I mean in the opposite direction - the examples you said are all blatant anti religious sentiment (and also a bit anti cultural too when I think about it), and sort of obvious displays of Islamophobia.
What I’m talking about is xenophobes ramping it DOWN instead of up - since as long as the sentiment is passed on, anything can be used as an insult, like honking at people jogging.
P.S don’t do any of the things in the comment I’m replying to, they’re horribly unnecessary intolerance towards muslims, and may or may not also get you killed.
Removed by mod
dangerous their religion is.
Edit: not sure how to do strikethrough, but you get the gist
Removed by mod
There it is, the racism. Please present some facts with sources on this statement.
Ex-muslim here. The Quran should not get special treatment in the eyes of the law from any other book.
I oppose hatred towards Muslims, but the religion itself isn’t exempt from criticism, and yes, that does include idiots who want to set the book on fire to make some kind of stupid point.
I don’t like it, but I don’t like the world having to tiptoe around overly sensitive Muslims who think everybody should show the same respect to the book that they do. The outrage would be at nowhere near the same magnitude if it were the Bible. Grow the hell up and stop validating these dumbass book burners.
The proposed law would also prohibit burnings of other specified religious texts.
I heavy declare my religious texts to be only books currently on fire. Your move.
And that’s also why their proposal is specifying what. Torahs, etc. Not sure dianetics would make it.
Oh so now the government of Denmark gets to define what is and what is not a religious text? Wow that is ambitious. A freaken random collection of government officials are going to define what texts are holy to humanity and which are not. Because if there is one thing that definitely should be mixed together is government and religion. That never ever ever goes wrong.
Will Sikh holy works be equal to the Quran or will the Quran be more equal than others?
This is signaling exactly the wrong message to the violent protesters. They see “if we throw a tantrum they do what we want” it will lead to more violent protest.
The opposite reaction would be appropriate. Tell tgem “If you continue to be violent we will mock your prophet and your book even more”. If those people really listen to the Quran this should stop the violence.
During Mohammeds time the Muslims would mock the gods of the polytheists. When the polytheists finally had enough and threatened to mock Islam if they don’t stop, “Allah” revealed
Surah 6:108
˹O believers!˺ Do not insult what they invoke besides Allah or they will insult Allah spitefully out of ignorance. This is how We have made each people’s deeds appealing to them. Then to their Lord is their return, and He will inform them of what they used to do.
I’m opposed to burning the Quran, but I am even more opposed to making it illegal to do so.
The wording quoted from the Danish politician by OP, assuming it is correctly quoted and translated sounds horrible and dystopian. Imaging making a law to make it illegal to do something that offends other people, or even offends other people from other countries. Now you have other people deciding on tummy feeling what is legal in your country. Absolutely disgusting.
Burning the Quran should continue to be legal, I just don’t see why you would do that, or other books for that matter. There are way more price efficient ways to produce heat than book burning
I agree on principles, but they only want to prevent it outside of Muslim countries’ embassies though.
Realpolitik. They probably just want to have good relations with these nations.
That really doesn’t make it better. They are basically extending the border of another country within their own country and doing it not due to very valid concerns like security or traffic flows, they are doing it to appease a sect of sky-daddyism. I wonder how much more of their citizens they plan to give away to a foreign power to buy themselves “peace in our time”.
Let them burn, and let the assholes make themselves known.
If you delete a file containing the Quaran from your computer, is that bad too?
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
Appeasement cowards. Giving up the rights of their citizens for very temporary diplomatic wins.
Just a reminder: there is no god and when you die you are just dead.
Leaving aside for the moment the free speech issues inherent here… if you want to control what someone does with a book after you sell it? You can’t sell it. Lend it, rent it, whatever; but if it’s sold, you’ve given up all right to determine what happens with it.
Don’t want to invest in the infrastructure to do that? Then is it really that important to you?
