Denmark outlaws desecration of Quran

Denmark's parliament on Thursday passed a law making it illegal to desecrate the Holy Quran in public places, seeking to deescalate tensions with Muslim countries after a spate of Danish protests during which the sacrilegious act was committed, caused global outrage.

Denmark and Sweden experienced a series of public protests this year by anti-Islam activists, triggering demands that the Nordic governments ban the Islamphobic acts. More than 500 demonstrations were registered in Denmark since July. Denmark's centrist coalition government has sought to strike a balance between freedom of speech and national security.

Read Denmark's parliament adopts law banning desecration of Holy Quran

"Such demonstrations can hurt Denmark's relations to other nations, our interests and ultimately our safety," Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard. Domestic critics in Sweden and Denmark have argued that any limitations on criticising religion, undermine the hard-fought liberal freedoms in the region. "History will judge us harshly for this, and with good reason," said Inger Stojberg, leader of the anti-immigration Denmark Democrats party.

The vote followed a five hour debate in parliament and 94 members voted in favour, 77 against. The government has argued that the new rules will have only a marginal impact on free speech and that criticising religion in other ways remains legal. Breaking the new law will be punishable by fines or up to two years in prison, the government said. Sweden is also considering how to prevent similar protests but is looking at whether police should factor in national security when deciding on protest applications rather than a ban.