Denmark taking Al-Qaeda threat ‘seriously’ amid anger over Qur’an burnings

COPENHAGEN: Denmark is taking a threat earlier this week by terrorist organization Al-Qaeda “very seriously” amid lingering anger over recent public burnings of copies of the Qur’an.

The militant terror group issued a threat against Denmark and Sweden through its official media channel As-Sahab, confirmed by the Danish security and intelligence service, Politiets Efterretningstjeneste.

A PET spokesperson told Arab News that the Danish intelligence services were fully aware of the threat posed by Al-Qaeda and were monitoring the situation.

“The recent Qur’an burnings in Denmark have resulted in considerable, negative attention from militant groups. This imposes a threat to Danish interests abroad. We are following the situation closely and have taken the necessary security measures in cooperation with relevant authorities, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” they said.

Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen also said that Denmark was taking the threat “very seriously” as he raised concerns about the security of Danish ambassadors and diplomats abroad.

“We have issued a security alert to Danish embassies and emphasized the host countries to provide their support,” said Rasmussen.

“Qur’an burnings are indefensible and blasphemous. They are deeply offensive and reckless acts committed by a few individuals who do not represent the values the Danish society is built on,” he added.

The minister emphasized that the government intended to find legal tools to “put an end to” the Qur’an burnings.

The Danish government will “explore the possibility of intervening in special situations where, for instance, other countries, cultures and religions are being insulted,” he said.

Denmark is considered one of the world's most liberal and secular countries. Its constitution protects freedom of expression and lacks blasphemy laws, which means it is not unlawful to denigrate religions or disrespect religious scriptures such as the Qur’an.

“When Sweden and Denmark allow the desecration and burning of the Holy Qur’an, they violate religious freedom principles,” said barrister AIi Tahir, a Pakistan-based constitutional and international law expert.

“Religious freedom is a fundamental human right protected by various treaties and conventions. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights recognize the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

“Whatever the religious symbol may be — the Bible or the Gita, for example — it cannot be disregarded in accordance with the different treaties, for the sole purpose of inciting religious enmity and causing emotional suffering among the followers of a particular religion,” he added.

Under existing laws, the Danish government cannot legally ban such protests. However, authorities are now exploring legal avenues to change these regulations.

According to Danish political commentator Noa Redington, should the government be successful, it would be “historic.”

He said: “This is a significant change of course concerning how the government handled the Muhammad crisis. It is quite significant and a completely different strategy compared to the Muhammad crisis, where Denmark was completely adamant.”

Redington referred to the blasphemous caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad published by the renowned Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, in 2005.

Denmark, and then prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, stood firm on the right to freedom of expression at the time. In 2008, Kurt Westergaard’s drawings were reprinted by several Danish newspapers.