Quran desecration: Difference between revisions

The legality of burning religious scriptures in Denmark was disputed for a long time, since the act might have been punishable under the country's blasphemy law (which, though on the books, was considered to may have lapsed; for instance, it hadn't been used to prosecute a televised Bible burning in 1997). But the blasphemy law was officially abolished in 2017, after which it became legal to desecrate Qurans and other religious scriptures.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/quran-burner-denmark-facebook-blasphemy-laws-repeal-a7771041.html|title=Quran-burner trial dropped after Danish parliament revokes centuries-old blasphemy law|date=3 June 2017|work=The Independent}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=L 170 Forslag til lov om ændring af straffeloven. |url=https://www.ft.dk/samling/20161/lovforslag/l170/index.htm |website=[[Folketing]]}}</ref> Burnings of the Quran, sometimes wrapped in bacon,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nettavisen.no/nyheter/islamkritiker-rasmus-paludan-brente-koran-surret-inn-i-bacon/s/12-95-3423679174|title=Islamkritiker Rasmus Paludan brente Koran surret inn i bacon |date=2 May 2019|work=Nettavisen|language=no}}</ref> and other forms of desecration such as throwingripping the book toapart, throwing it in the grounddustbin waswere a regular occurrence at rallies of the party [[Stram Kurs]] and party leader [[Rasmus Paludan]] as well as similar extremist groups.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.euronews.com/2019/04/25/denmark-s-quran-burning-politician-gathering-support-for-election-candidacy|title= Denmark's Quran-burning politician gathering support for election candidacy Access to the comments|date=25 April 2019|work=Euronews}}</ref> Paludan called on his supporters to urinatepee on the Quran,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.aftenposten.no/verden/i/jdLvez/hoeyreradikal-provokatoer-og-koranbrenner-kan-bli-valgt-inn-i-folketinget|title=Høyreradikal provokatør og koranbrenner kan bli valgt inn i Folketinget|date=4 May 2019|work=Aftenposten|language=no}}</ref> call it a "shit book", and [[Muhammad]] a pedophile murderer.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://ekstrabladet.dk/nyheder/politik/valg19/paludans-far-ubehageligt-at-laese-om-rasmus/7655728|title=Paludans far: Ubehageligt at læse om Rasmus|date=1 June 2019|work=Ekstrabladet|language=Danish}}</ref>

On June 28, 2023, [[Salwan Momika]], an Iraqi immigrant living in Sweden, burned a copy of the Quran and played football with the copy, outside [[Stockholm Mosque|Stockholm's central mosque]]. The Swedish police had granted a permit for the demonstration, after a Swedish court ruling that allowed it on the grounds of freedom of expression. The incident led to [[Protests against Quran desecration in Sweden|international protests]].<ref>{{cite news |author1=Marie Mannes |author2=Louise Rasmussen |title=Protester burns Koran at Stockholm mosque on Eid holiday |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/swedish-police-approve-small-anti-koran-demonstration-mosque-2023-06-28/ |access-date=1 July 2023 |work=Reuters |date=June 29, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author1=Lindsay Isaac |title=Turkey condemns Quran burning protest in Stockholm as a 'heinous act' |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2023/06/28/europe/sweden-quran-protest-intl/index.html |access-date=1 July 2023 |agency=CNN |date=June 28, 2023}}</ref>

However, Swedish police did file preliminary hate crime charges against a man who burned the Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm in June, 2023 and Swedish state prosecutors will decide whether to formally indict him or not. If they do indict him, it will be up to a Swedish judge to decide on whether or not his actions constituted incitement under the current law.<ref>AP,{{Cite web |date=2023-07-21 |title=Why Does Sweden Allow Quran Burnings? It Has No Blasphemy Laws |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/why-does-sweden-allow-quran-burnings-it-has-no-blasphemy-laws-/7190103.html |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=Voice of America |language=en}} </ref>

*[[Swat lynching incident]]