Denmark considering passing of a law to put a curb on Quran-burning incidents : Claims Algerian Foreign Ministry

Copenhagen (Denmark) – Many incidents of burning copies of the Quran, the holy book of Muslims, have been reported in Denmark, a European country. Against this background, the Algerian Foreign Ministry has claimed that Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, has apologised to Ahmed Attaf, the Algerian Foreign Affairs Minister. Many incidents of burning copies of the Quran by Danes outside the offices of the Consulates of Islamic countries, including Algeria’s Consulate, have been reported in the last few months in Denmark.

According to the Algerian Foreign Ministry, Rasmussen has said that such incidents were intolerable and not acceptable. These kinds of actions are against the basic qualities of hospitality, all-inclusiveness, and tolerance which are ingrained in the people of Denmark. A law will, therefore, be passed to prevent such incidents in the future. Algerian Foreign Ministry has claimed that Rasmussen has promised to present a Bill in this regard in the next four weeks. Sweden’s Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, had also expressed his concern over such incidents, at the beginning of July.

Denmark ponders law to ban burning of the Koran in front of embassies https://t.co/dLudTKZBdp

Denmark’s foreign minister said on Sunday that the government will seek to make it illegal to desecrate the Koran or other religious holy books in front of foreign embassies in the… pic.twitter.com/eA86SviYIV

— Faith Matters (@FaithMattersUK) July 31, 2023

A quick review of Quran-burning incidents in 2023

14th August : Such incident took place in front of the Royal Palace in Sweden’s Capital City, Stockholm. In the presence of a large Police Force, two persons kicked the Quran and burnt a few pages. Such actions are acceptable in Sweden under the individual freedom of their citizens.

12th August :  The members of ‘Danske Patrioter’ burnt copies of the Quran in front of the Turkish Consulate in Copenhagen, the Capital City of Denmark. ‘Anadolu Ajansi’, a Turkish news agency, claimed that the same group, later, burnt a copy of the Quran in front of the Iraqi Consulate. This group had done a similar thing even on 21st July 2023.

1st and 3rd August : A copy of the Quran was burnt in front of the Consulates of Türkiye, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.

28th June :  A person tore and burnt a copy of the Quran outside ‘Central Mosque’ in Stockholm, Sweden.

April 2023 : A group of people burnt a copy of the Quran in front of the Turkish Embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark.