Sweden considering making Qur’an burnings illegal — report

A supporter of a religious group Jamaat-e-Islami holds a copy of Islam's holy book 'Qur'an' as he with others take part in a rally, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, July 3, 2023, against the desecration of Islam's holy book Quran that took place in Sweden. (AP)

• The June 28 incident has drawn outrage from Muslim world, torpedoed Sweden’s bid to join NATO
• Erdogan says Turkiye cannot ratify Sweden’s NATO application before Qur’an burnings are stopped

STOCKHOLM: The Swedish government is examining whether it could make setting the Qur’an or other holy books on fire illegal, as recent Qur’an burnings have damaged Sweden’s security, Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer told Aftonbladet paper on Thursday.
An Iraqi immigrant to Sweden burned a copy of the Qur’an outside a Stockholm mosque last week, causing outrage in the Muslim world and condemnation from the Pope. The Swedish Security services said such action left the country less safe.
The police denied several applications earlier this year for protests that were set to include burning the Qur’an, citing security concerns, but courts have since overturned the police’s decisions, saying such acts are protected by Sweden’s far-reaching freedom of speech laws.
Sweden’s minister of justice said on Thursday that the government is analizing the situation and whether the law needs to be changed.
“We have to ask ourselves whether the current order is good or whether there is reason to reconsider it,” Strommer told Aftonbladet.
He added that Sweden had become a “prioritized target” for attacks.
“We can see that the Qur’an burning last week has generated threats to our internal security,” he said.
The incident has also damaged Sweden’s bid to join NATO, with Turkiye’s President Tayyip Erdogan saying his country cannot ratify Sweden’s application before Qur’an burnings are stopped.