Denmark is considering making it illegal to burn the Qur'an and other religious Scriptures.
Danish and Swedish authorities have struggled to balance free speech with growing anger that security officials say has elevated the risk of terrorist attacks.
www.nytimes.com
In 2017, then–Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen proclaimed: "I'm proud and happy that we live in a country where we have abolished the blasphemy
reason.com
The Danish Government has today presented a model for criminalising improper treatment of objects of significant religious importance to a religious community. For example, the bill intends to make it a criminal offense to publicly burn the Bible or the Quran.
via.ritzau.dk
This is being done in response to a far-right Danish and Swedish activist named Rasmus Paludan who has been going around burning copies of the Qur'an in recent months to criticize Islam and Muslim immigration. This has led to outrage from the Islamic world, including the storming of the Danish and Swedish embassies in Iraq and public condemnations from the leaders of Muslim countries for permitting the sacrilegious acts. This backlash also has implications for Sweden's application to join NATO, which can still be prevented by Turkey.
Denmark insists this is a limited restriction and only applies to destruction or degradation of, "objects of religious importance," such as, "burning, soiling, stomping on or kicking the object, or destroying the object by tearing it, cutting it or similar." It would not apply to, "verbal or written statements or drawings regarding religious objects and religious subjects. The same applies to other forms of expression that do not entail physically treating the object in an improper manner."
While I appreciate this is a tough spot for Denmark internationally, I will always lean in favor of more free speech, not less. I don't want to see anyone burn books, but I also don't want to give government any more power to limit freedom of expression, including expression that is deeply unpopular.
What do you think?