Denmark, keen to protect its freedom of expression while preserving national security, has introduced a revised version of its bill aimed at banning the desecration of the Quran on its soil. The Danish government responded to criticism that had been levelled against the first version of the law, considered restrictive in terms of freedom of expression and difficult to execute.
According to the Justice Department, the bill was amended to particularly focus on the inappropriate treatment of religious scriptures with significant meaning. Originally, the legislation was to encompass the desecration of all significant religious objects.
This new bill must be submitted to the Danish Parliament, the Folketing, for discussion on November 14. The government initiative was launched in August, in reaction to incidents of burning of the Koran on Danish territory, acts which had provoked the wrath of several Muslim countries and fueled concerns about national security.
In Iraq, for example, hundreds of demonstrators in favour of the influential religious leader Moqtada Sadr tried to march towards the Danish embassy in Baghdad last July as a sign of protest. The initial draft of the law was criticized from different sides: some saw it as a return to the offence of blasphemy, while legal professionals feared implementation problems.
Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard remarked on the adjustments, saying: “With the changes we are suggesting today, the law will be easier to understand, including for the police and the courts.” He likewise highlighted that the terrorist threat to the country has intensified, thus justifying the need for this revised legislation, which seeks to strike a balance between freedom of expression and national security.
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