Why are Scandinavian countries the centre of Quran burnings?
An Indonesian Muslim holds a placard reading 'Only Cowards burn the Quran' during a protest. Photo EPA, Mast Irham
Northern Europe
Denmark and Sweden have received a lot of –negative– attention because of Quran burnings. Why are these countries especially vulnerable to such upheaval?
Denmark is known for its freedom of expression. This also applies to burning holy books, the Dutch daily Reformatorisch Dagblad reports. That will say, until now, it has. Religious satire, such as Muhammed cartoons, were allowed unrestrictedly in Denmark. Even when the artist Kurt Westergaard received outraged responses because of his drawings, the Danes defended the principle.
But after the recent Quran burnings, the international Muslim world has responded outragedly. The threat of terrorist attacks has increased enormously. Now, many Danes realize that absolute freedom of expression can also have negative consequences and that it might be necessary to draw boundaries.
Who is behind the burnings?
Behind the burnings are often far-right activists, such as the group Danske Patrioter (Danish patriots). Also, the Swedish-Danish politician Magnus Paludan from the far-right Stram Kurs party knows how to create unrest by organizing a controversial book burning. Recently, a refugee from Iraq, a Muslim country, used the method to show his aversion to Islam. The goal of the actions is to get attention and publicity and to provoke Muslims.
The threats from the Muslim world have led to a complete crisis, the Reformatorisch Dagblad writes. The border controls have been tightened, and fear of a terrorist attack is present in society. Muslim extremists threaten to attack embassies, and the risk of a diplomatic conflict with Muslim countries has increased drastically.
Consequences
The events create a dilemma for the Danish government. Book burnings are allowed by law, and in the meantime, new requests are made. But in society, the realisation grows that the freedom of expression also has negative consequences.
By now, the coalition, led by Premier Mette Frederiksen, is considering a ban on book burnings. Even former Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who abolished the blasphemy clause, pleads for a reintroduction of the article. At the same time, most of the opposition parties are against the proposal. Also, many Danes do not dare to speak out against unlimited freedom of expression.
In addition, it is not easy to ban the burnings. Chances are big that a proposal will be rejected by a judge because it goes against a crucial element of Danish legislation. Thus, it is very likely that the ban only serves a symbolic purpose towards the Muslim world: Denmark takes their objections seriously.
Criticism
The Danish newspaper Kristeligt Dagblad writes in a comment that it was "irresponsible" of the government to remove the blasphemy clause in the law. The newspaper writes that religious people should be open to criticism, but a tolerant society should protect them against the public desecration of that what is most holy to them.
Distraction
Henrik Duus Johansen, a scientist who knows much about Danish history, tells the Reformatorisch Dagblad that the liberal attitude towards book burnings is partly due to the thinking of Nikolaj Grundtvig. He was an influential pastor, poet, historian, and folk educator, Johansen points out. "Grundtvig weakened the role of the Bible as a holy book because reading and studying it would distract people from daily life. Oral traditions, rituals, singing hymns, and being part of a tradition were more important", the expert explains. Therefore, the Bible only has limited space in Danish society, which could be a reason the Danish population does not really oppose book burnings.
Pastor Marie Høgh from the Danish People's church is pessimistic about the developments. "These days are sad for the freedom of expression, but also for the continuation of Western civilisation. The attitude of the government is only the result of the threats from extremists from Muslim countries. The freedom to criticise religion is one of the most fundamental pillars of our civilisation. And it is attacked by the new legislation. Not by Islamists, but by ourselves."
Pastor Gunni Bjørsted from Vanløse Frikirken sees it differently. "As a Christian, I am opposed to ridiculing other religions. Personally, I am in favour of a ban on the public burning of Qurans or other holy books. The ban does not violate the basic principles of freedom of expression, I think. Such burnings are a real attack on the freedom of expression of others.|
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