Denmark
\nDenmark\u2019s parliament on Tuesday will debate a bill to ban burnings of the Holy Quran, after a string of desecrations of the holy book sparked anger in Muslim countries.
\nNearly 1,000 protesters attempted to march to the Danish embassy in Baghdad\u2019s fortified Green Zone in late July, following a call by firebrand cleric Moqtada Sadr.
\nDenmark\u2019s government said the tensions posed a threat to national security.
\nThe bill aims to make it a criminal offence to \u201cpublicly or with the intention of dissemination in a wider circle to treat a text with strong religious significance for a religious community\u2026 inappropriately,\u201d according to a summary on the parliament\u2019s website.
\nOffenders could face up to two years in prison.
\nBetween July 21 and October 24 this year, 483 book burnings or flag burnings were recorded in Denmark, according to national police figures.
\nInitially announced at the end of August, the bill was amended following criticism that its first draft limited freedom of expression and would be difficult to enforce.
\n\u201cThe bill has been narrowed to specifically target improper treatment of scriptures of significant religious importance,\u201d the justice ministry said in a statement at the end of October.
\nThe bill was originally planned to cover objects of significant religious importance.
\nCriticism
\nThe first draft of the bill was criticised by some \u2014 including politicians, artists, media and freedom of speech experts \u2014 who saw it as a return to a blasphemy law that Denmark abolished in 2017.
\nPolice and judicial officials also feared it would be difficult to enforce. \u201cWith the changes we are now proposing, the law will be easier to navigate \u2014 including for the police and the courts,\u201d Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard said in the statement in October, noting that the terrorist threat against Denmark had intensified.
\nThe new legislation would be included in chapter 12 of Denmark\u2019s penal code, which covers national security.
\nIn 2006, a wave of anti-Danish anger and violence erupted in the Muslim world following the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
\nAfter the first reading Tuesday, the proposed bill must be studied by a committee and then submitted for two further readings before a vote.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Denmark Denmark\u2019s parliament on Tuesday will debate a bill to ban burnings of the Holy Quran, after a string of desecrations of the holy book sparked anger in Muslim countries. Nearly 1,000 protesters attempted to march to the Danish embassy in Baghdad\u2019s fortified Green Zone in late July, following a call by firebrand cleric Moqtada […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":368114,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-368067","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n