Denmark’s Parliament debates proposed law to ban Quran burning

Denmark’s parliament started on Tuesday to debate the government’s bill to ban Quran burnings, after a string of desecrations of Islam’s holy book sparked anger in Muslim countries during the summer.

The government has maintained that it backs the bill because of the threat to national security in reaction to the Islamophobic provocative protests.

Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, in response to the provocative act, said the “burnings are deeply offensive and reckless acts committed by a few individuals … (who) do not represent the values the Danish society is built on.”

The bill would make it against the law to “publicly or with the intention of dissemination in a wider circle to treat a text with strong religious significance for a religious community … inappropriately,” according to a summary on parliament’s website.

Offenders could face a jail time of up to two years in prison.