Diplomacy or freedom of expression? The burning of copies of the Koran puts Sweden and Denmark in a bind

It's just a book, but it's not just any book. The Koran is for Muslims one of the holiest symbols of Islam.. This is why Muslims around the world do not understand the burning of copies of the Koran by far-right individuals in Denmark and Sweden. And they protest about it.

On January 21, a Swedish-Danish ultra-rightist burned a copy of the Koran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.. It was only the beginning. In June, there were two more burnings. Swedish police allowed “protests” citing free speech after a court struck down a ban on similar Quran burning.

Then in July it was in Denmark. A group calling itself Danske Patrioter (Danish Patriots) burned a copy in front of the Iraqi embassy, sparking harsh diplomatic tensions and disorder in Baghdad. The next day they did it again, this time in front of the Egyptian embassy.. And there have been more in both Scandinavian countries.

Protests in the Islamic world

In response to the burning of their holy book, strong protests have been taking place in the Islamic world since mid-July.. The most virulent was the one referred to in Baghdad, when hundreds of protesters stormed and set fire to the Swedish embassy in protest at the summons of Salwan Momika, an Iraqi refugee hosted by Sweden since 2019, who announced a burning of the Koran in Stockholm.

In the end, he did not burn the sacred book, but instead kicked and desecrated it right in front of the embassy of his country of origin amid considerable media coverage and protests by groups of protesters, mainly Muslims.

The governments of Muslim countries have summoned Danish and Swedish representatives to convey their protests and demand that measures be taken to stop the burning of their holy book.. They have also defended a UN Human Rights Council resolution condemning the burning of Korans as an act of religious hatred.. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has condemned the protests and has called for United Nations intervention.

Türkiye, Sweden and NATO

In addition to provoking large demonstrations in Yemen or Iraq, several governments of Muslim-majority countries have warned that consenting to the burning of copies of the Koran may have consequences for diplomatic relations.

Along these lines, the Iraqi government ordered the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador in Baghdad and threatened to terminate the contracts of companies operating in its territory.. More important is the case of Turkey, which after the burning of a Koran in January began to raise its tone against Sweden's entry into NATO.

Erdogan warned that “insulting Muslims is not freedom of thought” and charged against “arrogance”

At the end of June, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that “insulting Muslims is not freedom of thought” and charged against Western “arrogance”.. Turkey is one of the two member states of the Atlantic Alliance that have not yet ratified Sweden's entry.

And the expression freedom?

Sweden and Denmark have been studying for days the possibility of restricting the burning of the Koran or prohibiting those held before foreign embassies, a proposal that has received criticism from the political opposition in both countries.. The Danish government seems more inclined to do so.

Ultranationalists from Danish Patriots have desecrated the Koran in Copenhagen, while chanting anti-Islamic slogans and unfurling anti-Islamic banners. The Danish executive has condemned these acts and has said that it will study the possibility of intervening in situations in which other countries, cultures and religions are denigrated to safeguard national security.

Trying to be conciliatory, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen has suggested that desecration of the Koran and other holy books outside foreign embassies should be made illegal.. This week in an interview with the Danish weekly Weekendavisen, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that banning such acts would not restrict freedom of expression. “I do not consider a limitation on freedom of expression that other people's books cannot be burned,” he declared.

I do not consider it a limitation on freedom of expression that other people's books cannot be burned”

However, the parties of the Danish opposition, made up of seven parties, have expressed their objections to the executive's proposal. They argue that such actions could invite foreign interference in Danish politics and undermine civil liberties.

Sweden, at the moment, nothing is going to change. Its Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, has said the global repercussions of the desecration of the Qur'an are not worth the country abandoning its free speech rules.

Hristersson has accused foreigners of taking advantage of the country's free speech laws and using them as “stages to spread hate messages”.. According to the head of the Executive, the burning of the Koran is “dragging Sweden into international conflicts.”

In the past both countries could do more because they had blasphemy laws. Another thing is that both the Swedes and the Danes used them sparingly. Sweden repealed its law in the 1970s, and Denmark did the same as recently as 2017.

Also security

The crisis of the burning of copies of the Koran has led both countries to take security measures. First it was the Swedish authorities, who earlier this week announced the strengthening of border controls due to the increase in threats.

The Danish Government did so last Friday. According to its Ministry of Justice, the measure has been taken by the National Police following a recommendation from the intelligence services (PET). This greater control will imply that random controls will increase at the border with Sweden and Germany. The measure will be in force until next Thursday.