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Denmark exploring means to intervene in holy Quran burning protests – JURIST

The Danish government announced Sunday that they are exploring legal means of intervening in the recent holy Quran burning protests. In the statement, the Danish government clarified that the government has played no role in these protests and further  reiterated that the burning of the holy Quran is provocative and insulting to other countries, cultures and religions. The statement said that these actions have significant negative consequences for Denmark including security implications.The protests and the governments subsequent inaction have intensified the diplomatic relationship between Denmark and Islamic nations. The Danish government stated that as a result of the widespread phenomenon of the holy Quran burning, Denmark is being viewed as a country that facilitates islamophobia. Previously, the Danish government issued a statement condemning the burning of the holy Quran on July 22. However, another Quran-burning incident then occured on July 25, when  a group named “Danish Patriots” burned the holy Quran next to an Iraqi flag outside the Iraqi embassy in Copenhagen. The incident has triggered protests in Iran against the Danish embassy.15 governments, such as Iraq, have condemned Denmark for the protests. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation will be holding an extraordinary virtual session for the Council of Foreign Ministers of Member States on July 31. Saudi Arabia and Iraq requested the session to address the burning of copies of the holy Quran.Sweden is also facing similar diplomatic tensions with the Islamic States for the burning of Quran outside the Iraqi embassy. The Swedish government published a statement on July 26, claiming that the burning of copies of holy scriptures has caused strong reactions against Sweden from Arabic-speaking and Muslim countries. Sweden also claimed that there have been disinformation campaigns directed against the Swedish government, disseminating false claims that Sweden is behind the desecration of copies of holy scriptures. Swedish Minister for Civil Defence Carl-Oskar Bohlin added that the disinformation campaigns against Sweden could jeopardise foreignly based Swedish citizens’ lives and corporations’ operations. The disinformation campaign also poses a threat to national security.