Denmark and Sweden search for ways to curb desecration of holy books

A rash of Quran burnings in Sweden and Denmark are making the nations’ governments reconsider their stance on freedom of expression.

"In the situation that we find ourselves, the government has chosen to solve a problem before it grows over our heads," said Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen. "That means that we can’t present the finalized solution. But the fact that we are signaling, both in Denmark and abroad, that we are working on it will hopefully help de-escalate the problems we are facing." 

Repeated acts of desecration against holy books have cost the two Scandinavian countries by endangering embassy staff, souring relations with Muslim nations, and - in the case of Sweden - risking its entry into NATO. 

Protests damaging Islam’s holy text have been conducted by far-right groups, and by immigrants to the West from Muslim majority states. The blowback is sufficient that the governments of Denmark and Sweden are consulting with each other on whether to update their laws.

“There is also reluctance to make changes because of the obvious risks and reasons to do such things when you're making concessions to the loudest and most violent,” said Sten Widmalm, a professor of political science at Uppsala University in Sweden. 

In Copenhagen, the debate is centered on banning protests outside embassies that involve objects of particular symbolism. This would counter threats, not yet carried out, to burn a Torah, the Jewish holy book, outside the Israeli embassy. But religious groups have called for such a ban to be extended to cover their places of worship, or on holy days. 

“My opinion is that it won’t stop here. If you start banning one type of event, there will be more demands and you will probably also encourage violent protestors to continue to do what they are doing because they see that it's working,” said Widmalm. 

At the heart of the issue are groups — from a wide variety of political backgrounds, in Europe and in the Middle East — that are leveraging the issue for political gain. Including, Sweden’s government says, Russian propagandists. 

“The reactions you see from other countries, like the attack on the Swedish embassy in Baghdad that has also been motivated by internal conflicts in Iraq. Because you have competing factions in Iraq who are struggling for power. And they are competing over who can have the most pure and protective view on Islam,” added Widmalm.

While freedom of expression remains an important consideration for Sweden and Denmark's governments, there is growing reluctance to avoid giving platforms to such voices.