In recent weeks, Denmark and Sweden have seen a run of public rallies in which copies of the Quran have been burned or otherwise damaged, eliciting fury in Muslim nations who have urged that the Nordic governments put a stop to the burnings.
“The government will propose legislation that prohibits the inappropriate handling of objects with essential religious significance for a religious community,” Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard told a press conference.
“The proposal will thus make it punishable to, for example, in public burn a Quran, Bible or Torah,” he said.
The administration dismissed protests from some Danish opposition parties who claimed that prohibiting Quran burnings would violate free expression.
“I fundamentally believe that there are more civilised ways to express one’s views than burning things,” Hummelgaard added.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said in July that the government will seek to “find a legal tool” to prevent the burning of copies of the Quran in front of foreign embassies in Denmark.
According to Hummelgaard, violating the new regulation would result in penalties or up to two years in prison.
He did not disclose when he anticipated the bill to be voted on in parliament.
Neighbouring Sweden also said that it is looking into methods to legally restrict Quran desecrations in order to ease tensions following recent threats that prompted the country’s security officials to raise the terrorist threat level.
