Mr. Jung, the Danish government has tightened border controls because it fears an increased risk of terrorist attacks following the recent burning of the Koran. She also wants to check what legal remedies she has against the actions. Is this the first step in saying goodbye to the broad Danish freedom of expression?
A ban on burning the Koran is very difficult to enforce in Denmark. There is too strong a tradition of criticism of religion here. In 2017, even the blasphemy paragraph was abolished by parliament with a large majority. If the government wants to restrict the possibilities for such actions in the future, it would have to package it differently.
Like for example?
One possibility would be the forthcoming reform of the Danish flag directive. So far it has been very strict. For example, I wasn’t allowed to hoist a German flag in my garden. In addition to the Danish, only those of the Nordic countries, the EU and the UN are permitted. With the Russian war against Ukraine, however, the guideline was actually softened. Suddenly Ukrainian flags were everywhere. The highest court has already ruled that this is not punishable. Parliament wants to deal with the directive after the summer break. In this context, Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen could try to introduce a law on the burning of the Koran as well.
Dietrich Jung is Professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense.
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Image: Dietrich Jung
Løkke Rasmussen has expressed concern about his country’s reputation in Muslim countries following the recent spate of Koran burnings.
Of course, economic interests also play a role. The Danish-Swedish dairy group Arla, for example, has a strong presence in Saudi Arabia, and valves from Danfoss are supplied to many Arab countries. There are now concerns that after the so-called cartoon crisis surrounding the Mohammed cartoons in 2005, the burning of the Koran would again lead to diplomatic upheavals with Muslim countries.
What has Denmark learned from the cartoon crisis?
An understanding is slowly developing that freedom of expression is increasingly being negotiated internationally – and not just with a view to Islam. One aspect of this is that Germany doesn’t think it’s great that neo-Nazi writings can be distributed in Denmark.
But just because Koran burning is inconsistent with the worldview in some Muslim countries doesn’t mean Denmark has to give up one of its core values.
No not that. But you have to be aware that such actions are not necessarily without consequences today, when information spreads very quickly around the world. The Danish foreign minister seems to have recognized this and is acting more cautiously. In this context, it would also be important to take a more realistic look at freedom of expression in Denmark.
What do you mean?
In connection with the burning of the Koran, the story of great tolerance is always spread. But that doesn’t exist in all areas in Denmark either. For example, it is not forbidden to report negatively about the royal family as a journalist. But hardly anyone does it because it’s a social taboo. When it comes to criticism of religions, the boundaries in Denmark have always been much more generous.
What are the reasons for this?
This has to do with history, with a very homogeneous Protestantism, with a tradition of biblical criticism that in the 19th century made Jesus’ actions ultimately more important than the Holy Scriptures. It’s different in Islam, where the Koran, as the direct word of God, still plays a central role. With Muslim immigration, denigration of religion became a social problem in Denmark.
How does the Muslim community deal with the burning of the Koran?
There is not too much outcry – probably also because many Danish Muslims have now adopted Danish culture or at least know it very well. And they know that the people behind the burns, like right-wing extremist Rasmus Paludan, are cranks and provocateurs. But of course that doesn’t mean that Muslims in Denmark aren’t hurt by such actions.
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