Denmark to limit burnings and desecrations of the Koran

The Danish government announced on Sunday that it wanted to limit possible new demonstrations planning desecrations of the Koran, which have fueled tensions with the Muslim world, highlighting the security problems they imply.

Several recent demonstrations in Sweden or Denmark involving burnings or other desecrations of the Muslim holy book have raised diplomatic tensions between the two Scandinavian countries and several Arab countries.

Stressing that such demonstrations play into the hands of extremists and sow division, the Danish government intends to “explore” the possibility of intervening in situations “where, for example, other countries, cultures and religions are insulted, and which may have significant negative consequences for Denmark, particularly in terms of security,” the foreign ministry wrote in a statement.

“This must of course be done within the framework of freedom of expression protected by the Constitution,” it added, stressing that this is one of Denmark’s most important values.