Denmark passes law banning 'improper handling' of the Koran

The Danish parliament has passed a law that criminalizes the "improper handling" of the Koran with other religious texts. This was preceded by many hours of heated debate, reports local publication Jyllands-Posten.

94 deputies voted for the adoption of the bill, 77 voted against. As Jyllands-Posten notes, the document introduces criminal liability for burning or otherwise damaging the Koran and other scriptures “of importance for religious communities,” such as the Bible. In Denmark, this is now punishable by a fine or up to two years in prison.

During the debate, all representatives of the opposition, except for the De Radikale party, harshly criticized the bill and called it a threat to freedom of speech, writes Politiken. For example, May Mercado from the Conservative Party said that the Koran now stands above the Constitution. Pernille Vermund of the Nye Borgerlige (New Right) party said Danish ministers brought “Islamic laws” with them from the climate summit in Dubai. The chairman of the Democratic Party, Inger Støjberg, commented: “1:0 in favor of the Islamists.”

“Now the Muslim forces will demand more and more, as they know they can simply laugh at the majority in the Danish parliament,” she was quoted as saying by Politiken.

The ruling Social Democratic Party, the moderates, the conservative-liberal party Venstre and De Radikale voted for the bill. Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard said that the law does not contain “the shadow of a restriction on freedom of expression,” . Berlingske reports “I think there are more civilized ways of expressing your views than burning things,” he said in August, when the Danish government drafted the bill.

In January 2023, Danish far-right politician, leader of the anti-Islamist party Stram Kurs (Hard Course) Rasmus Paludan burned the Koran at the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden , and then did the same in front of a mosque in Copenhagen, Denmark. In July, two members of the Danish Patriots group trampled and set fire to a Koran outside the Iraqi embassy in Copenhagen. These actions sparked mass protests among Muslims around the world.

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