Sweden and Denmark have recently made international headlines due to incidents of Quran desecrations, causing an unprecedented blow to their international reputation. The article looks into how Sweden and Denmark are handling the consequences of this acute political issue.
Sweden and Denmark have recently made international headlines due to incidents of Quran desecrations. In the aftermath, there has been widespread , and , especially in the Islamic world, with the Swedish embassy in Baghdad getting twice. Due to the events, Sweden鈥檚 Prime Minister Kristersson has the ongoing incidents as 鈥渢he most serious security policy situation since the Second World War鈥. The incidents have also had tangible political consequences, with Sweden鈥檚 complicated path to NATO membership being the most prominent case in point. Consequently, these burnings have been an acute political issue for Sweden and Denmark, with both countries trying to strike a balance between protecting the freedom of expression and demonstration and mitigating the international outcry.
Due to the events, Sweden鈥檚 Prime Minister Kristersson has described the ongoing incidents as 鈥渢he most serious security policy situation since the Second World War鈥.
Incidents of religious texts being desecrated are not new in Scandinavia. However, Sweden鈥檚 pending NATO membership and international outcry have amplified the current situation. The latest wave of incidents involving Quran desecrations started on June 28th, when a Quran was outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm, Sweden; several more burnings followed the incident. On July 25th, also took place in Copenhagen, Denmark. Both Sweden and Denmark their blasphemy laws in and respectively. Therefore a in Sweden, found police efforts to prevent further incidents to be in violation of the constitutionally protected freedom of assembly.
As the Quran is considered the literal word of God, any act of desecration against the religion鈥檚 most important symbol would be considered sacrilegious and blasphemous to Muslims. That is why the recent Quran desecrations have caused widespread and in the Islamic world, media in the region, and the wider international community, and dealt an unprecedented blow to Sweden and Denmark鈥檚 international reputation in the Islamic world.
In part, this highly controversial desecration is driven by domestic political developments in Sweden and Denmark. Among the main perpetrators behind the recent Quran desecrations have been individuals and organizations connected to the far-right. These groups often hold Islamophobic views and use Quran desecrations as a tool to criticize Islam and the Muslim community. Right-wing extremist activities rose following the 2015 European migration crisis that resulted in a substantial of Muslim residents in Sweden and Denmark. The migration crisis also fueled political tensions. The Sweden Democrats, a party as Islamophobic with in fascism, has seen a sharp rise in its popularity; it is now the second largest party in the Swedish Parliament.
Facing international outrage, both Sweden and Denmark are taking steps to handle the political consequences of Quran desecrations鈥揳lbeit differently. In Sweden, the government has strongly the burnings and the Swedish Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs an emergency meeting on the issue. The Swedish opposition has also the government to take steps to stop the ongoing incidents of Quran desecrations. Sweden鈥檚 unified response can be attributed to its complicated road to NATO membership. Its main hurdle to joining the alliance has been T眉rkiye鈥檚 opposition, which has strongly condemned the Quran desecrations. Although an agreement was on July 10, T眉rkiye has yet to ratify Sweden鈥檚 NATO membership until its parliament reconvenes in the fall. There are also growing concerns in Sweden about the threat of due to the Quran desecrations, which have led the government to its border controls. Due to this tense situation, reports have emerged about the government considering to stop the Quran desecrations, something a majority of Swedes in recent polling.
Denmark too is taking steps to handle the Quran desecrations, but unlike in Sweden, the issue is more polarized. Denmark鈥檚 Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen the most recent Quran burning, but emphasized these acts are not against the law. The Danish Police Intelligence Service assessed that the recent incidents have also the threat of terrorism in Denmark. In the interest of national security, the Danish government is therefore the possibility of banning Quran desecrations outside embassies. However, unlike in Sweden, the Danish opposition is these government鈥檚 plans. The issue could therefore be for a referendum.
Without any changes to current legislation to address the issue of religious texts being desecrated, similar incidents are likely to continue happening. The recent Quran desecrations have seriously hit Sweden鈥檚 and Denmark鈥檚 international reputation, but their responses are different. Sweden鈥檚 more unified reaction can be seen against the backdrop of its security and political environment, including its pending NATO membership, compared to Denmark, where the issue is more polarized. The two countries have to, however, live with the serious hit to their reputation in the Islamic world, which might in the future affect their cooperation with Muslim-majority countries on issues such as immigration, security, and counter-terrorism.
The Global Europe Program is focused on Europe鈥檚 capabilities, and how it engages on critical global issues. We investigate European approaches to critical global issues. We examine Europe鈥檚 relations with Russia and Eurasia, China and the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Our initiatives include 鈥淯kraine in Europe鈥濃攁n examination of what it will take to make Ukraine鈥檚 European future a reality. But we also examine the role of NATO, the European Union and the OSCE, Europe鈥檚 energy security, transatlantic trade disputes, and challenges to democracy. The Global Europe Program鈥檚 staff, scholars-in-residence, and Global Fellows participate in seminars, policy study groups, and international conferences to provide analytical recommendations to policy makers and the media. Read more
