Danish government to pass a bill stopping Quran burnings after demands made by Muslim countries

The Danish government said on Friday it was proposing legislation that would make it illegal to burn copies of the Quran in public places, as part of the effort to de-escalate tensions with Muslim countries. “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. Breaking the new law would be punishable by fines or up to two years in prison, Hummelgaard added. The Danish government has rejected protests by some Danish opposition parties that said banning Quran burnings would violate freedom of speech. It should be mentioned that Denmark and Sweden have witnessed a string of protests in public in recent weeks where copies of the Quran have been burned or otherwise damaged, prompting outrage in Muslim nations which have demanded the Nordic governments put a stop to the burnings.