1. How did the Koran burnings start?

The debate over Islam’s role in Scandinavia has been building for decades as consecutive waves of immigration have brought increasing numbers of Muslims. In parallel, nationalist movements have gained political influence in both Denmark and Sweden, with their more radical exponents turning to confrontation and provocation as means to raise their profiles. A Danish-Swedish far-right agitator, Rasmus Paludan, had earlier staged a number of Koran burnings but it was a January 2023 event that thrust him — and Sweden — onto the global stage. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cited the public desecration as a reason to block Sweden from joining NATO. Several others in Sweden then jumped on the bandwagon, filing applications to burn the Koran, the Bible and the Torah under police protection. In June and July, public burnings of the Koran staged by an Iraqi man who came to Sweden in 2018 set off a new wave of protests.

2. Why can’t police just ban Koran burnings?

Sweden’s law enforcement agencies have sought to block such actions on the grounds that they could increase the risk of terrorism, but those arguments have been struck down by courts. Judges have ruled that regardless of the political message being conveyed, protests must be allowed and protected unless they constitute a direct and immediate threat to public safety. Danish police, too, are similarly stymied by legislation and able to block protests only in extreme circumstances when there’s an immediate threat of violence. Underlying the developments is the abolition of centuries-old blasphemy laws — Sweden’s ultimately in 1970 and Denmark’s in 2017. Both nations now rely on laws banning hate speech to set the boundaries for freedom of expression. In Sweden, people burning the Koran have been investigated for hate speech, but no charges have been brought.

3. What’ve been the consequences?

The Swedish embassy in Iraq was stormed in July, and the incidents have led to diplomatic tensions with several other Muslim countries. The Koran burnings have also complicated Sweden’s coveted accession to NATO. A promised ratification of its membership by Turkey remains pending, with Hungary also yet to make it official. Sweden has warned that the threat of terrorist attacks has increased, as outrage across the Muslim world is amplified by what the country’s Security Service called disinformation campaigns. Swedish officials say that foreign actors, including some with links to Russia, are seeking to amplify the false assertion that Sweden as a state supports desecration of the Koran. In Denmark, the development has raised the specter of a repeat of the diplomatic crisis and widespread boycott of Danish goods that was sparked by a Danish newspaper publishing 12 drawings of the Prophet Muhammad in 2005.

4. What are the options for the Nordic governments?

Stockholm as well as Copenhagen have sought to distance themselves as much as possible from the acts of desecration, denouncing the actions. Both governments have also indicated that they are willing to look at legal measures. Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has said that his government  — which has strengthened border controls — is also considering changing laws on public order to allow police to block provocations that may threaten national security. The Danish government said it wants to intervene in situations where “other countries, cultures, and religions are being insulted, and where this could have significant negative consequences for Denmark.” Some legal experts have suggested that a ban of Koran burnings would require a reintroduction of the blasphemy law. Others say Denmark’s criminal code, which already prohibits public mockery of a foreign state’s flag or other national symbol, could be expanded to cover significant religious objects.

5. Does this happen elsewhere?

Not a lot, though there have been individual examples of public desecration of Islam’s holy book in countries such as Norway, the Netherlands and the US. While many European countries have abolished blasphemy laws, some of them have used laws on security and public order to stop Koran burnings. In Norway, police this year blocked a Koran burning protest citing security reasons and in France, where the blasphemy law was repealed in 2016, Paludan was detained and sent packing in 2020, reportedly because his plans to burn the Koran would constitute a disturbance of public order. In England and Wales, blasphemy laws were abolished in 2008 but desecration of the Koran and other holy scriptures can be punishable under laws targeting incitement of religious hatred. In other countries, such as Germany, Italy, Poland and Finland, defamation of religion remains a criminal offense.

–With assistance from Ott Ummelas.

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