STOCKHOLM: The Danish government has announced that it is in the process of searching for legal ways in order to enable officials to prevent the desecration of the Quran and other holy books during protests in front of foreign embassies in Denmark, the country's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen was quoted as saying.
In an official statement, Rasmussen condemned the Quran burnings, terming these to be deeply offensive and reckless acts which have been committed by a few individuals. "These few individuals do not represent the values the Danish society is built on," he stressed.
While noting that such protests have the tendency to play into the hands of extremists, the government says it wants to “explore” means of intervening in such situations which involve insulting of other countries, cultures and religions, and “where this could have significant negative consequences for Denmark, not least with regard to security”, said a statement from the foreign ministry.
“This must of course be done within the framework of the constitutionally protected freedom of expression and in a manner that does not change the fact that freedom of expression in Denmark has very broad scope,” it added. The statement also said freedom of expression is considered to be one of the most important values of the country.
The latest decision came in the wake of incidents where the Quran, the holy book of Islam, was burnt and destroyed during rallies in Denmark and Sweden in recent weeks, putting them in the international limelight.
Issuing a separate statement, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Sunday that he had been keeping in close contact with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and that Sweden is mulling a similar move that was already in the making.
“We have also started to analyze the legal situation already … in order to consider measures to strengthen our national security and the security of Swedes in Sweden and around the world," Kristersson posted in his Instagram account.
There have been widespread protests and condemnation in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Morocco, Qatar, and Yemen in response to the incidents involving the public burnings of the Quran in the Scandinavian countries.
Only last Monday, two extremists who termed themselves as 'Danish Patriots' set on fire an Iraqi flag and a copy of the Quran in a tin foil plate and then trampled on them. Earlier this month, Salwan Momika, a 37-year-old resident of Iraq also possessing citizenship of Sweden, set on fire several pages of the holy book.
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