The Danish Parliament has recently passed a law criminalizing the burning of the Holy Quran and other sacred religious texts in public spaces. This action responds to a rising number of incidents relating to the public burning of religious texts, notably the Quran, the central scripture in Islam.
Prior to this adopted legislation, the Danish government had indicated its plan to utilize legal avenues to cease the public burning of the Quran, and had released a statement in July disapproving such acts. The new legislation prosecutes public displays of disrespect towards any religious text, such as burning, defiling, or insulting. Violators of this law may face up to two-year imprisonment.
Though the bill amassed 94 votes to favor in the Folketinget, Denmark’s parliament, it was not without opposition. Seventy-seven votes were against the new legislation, with dissenters arguing the invasion of freedom of expression and a worrying precedent potentially leading to further constraints on dissenting viewpoints. Inger Støjberg, leading the anti-immigration Denmark Democrats party, questioned the source of the restriction on freedom of speech.
The objection against the new law mirrored across political parties, including the left-wing. Karina Lorentzen, a member of the Socialist People’s Party, expressed her incredulity towards the effectiveness of the legislation externally.
Despite the passed bill, it isn’t an enforceable law yet. The Danish monarch, Queen Margrethe, must sign it first. Upon the queen’s approval, the law will be announced in the legislative gazette and then come into effect the following day.
More details on the story can be found on the original article by JURIST.