On July 30. 2023, the Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said that the government cabinet would seek a legal tool that would allow and enable authorities to prevent burning copies of the Quran in front of other countries embassies.
In a separate statement, he said, “The burnings are deeply offensive and reckless acts committed by a few individuals. These few individuals do not represent the values the Danish Society is built on.”
Comments by the Danish Foreign Minister
In an interview with DR, the official public broadcaster of Denmark, the foreign minister said that the burning of the other holy scriptures will “only allow and serve the purpose of creating division in the world that actually needs unity.
Continuing further, he said, “The Danish government will therefore explore the possibilities of intervening in such situations where for instance, other countries’ culture, religions, are being insulted and which could have serious negative consequences for Denmark, not least with regard to security.”
There must be room for religious criticism, and we do not have any thoughts related to blasphemy cause, But when you stand in front of other countries’ embassies, burn the Quran and or burn the Torah Scroll in front of an Israeli embassy, it serves no purpose but then to mock.
“That is why we have decided in the government that we will look at how, in very special situations, we can put an end to the mockery of other countries which is in direct conflict with the Danish interests and the safety of the Danes,” he said.
The impact caused by the burning of the Quran
A recent string of burning the Quran desecrations by a handful of anti -Islam activists in Denmark and other Scandinavian nations have sparked angry demonstrations in the Muslim World (Ummah)
Widespread protests have been witnessed in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, Morocco, Qatar and Yemen and the Muslim World
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has called an emergency meeting on July 31, 2023, to discuss the Quran burning in Sweden and Denmark. When the Quran was burnt in Sweden for the first time, Turkey was aghast, and the relations between Sweden and Turkey went for a toss. Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, also cancelled Sweden’s bid to join NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation)
Iraq dismissed the Swedish Ambassador, and the consulates of Sweden as well as that of Denmark, were attacked, and the property was destroyed by the angry mobs. The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) earlier this month approved a resolution on religious hatred and bigotry following several burnings.
Comments from Sweden
On July 30, 2023, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said he held talks with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, where both leaders agreed that the situation was very dangerous.
“We need to take measures to strengthen our resilience,” Kristersson said in a post on Instagram. Ultimately, it is about defending our free and open society, our democracy, and our citizens’ right to freedom and security The outrage from the burning of the Quran has become problematic for Sweden
Similar incidents in the past
The saga of widespread protests began on January 31, 2023, when a radical politician named Rasmus Paludan openly burnt a copy of the Quran which caused resentment between Sweden and Turkey. A second incident occurred outside the central mosque of Stockholm when an Iraqi Christian living in the Swedish capital burnt the Quran on the Islamic festival of Eid-al-Adha. His name was Salwan Momika.
A third incident occurred in Sweden when an Iraqi national stamped on the Quran and subsequently kicked it. This incident sparked a wide range of protests across the Ummah. The Muslim World had strictly demanded the punishment of the Iraqi citizen. A fourth incident occurred on July 24, 2023, when a group called Danish patriots set fire to the Quran outside the Iraqi embassy in Copenhagen.
