The governments of Sweden and Denmark are attempting to ease tensions, with frequent and escalating incidents of burning the Quran
The governments of Sweden and Denmark have stated that they are seeking legal means to limit the escalating burning of the Quran in recent days, in order to ease tensions with Islamic countries.
According to Reuters on July 31st, there have been several protests in Sweden and Denmark recently where the Quran has been burned or destroyed. Islamic countries are angry about this and demand that both governments take measures to prevent such incidents from happening again.
On July 31st, the Danish government stated that if the protests would have a serious negative impact on Denmark, including security, the authorities would intervene from a legal perspective. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Luck Rasmussen said on July 31 after meeting with a parliamentary foreign policy spokesperson, "We are working hard to resolve the issue and hope that this signal can ease the current domestic and international conflicts. We cannot wait for the situation to spiral out of control, and taking measures is to ensure the best political interests of all parties, not forced by pressure."
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Bilstrom stated on the same day that he had sent a letter to all 57 member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, explaining Sweden's right to assembly and condemning Islamophobia.
Despite previous statements from Swedish and Danish authorities, there were still incidents of burning the Quran in both countries on the same day. In Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, an Iraqi refugee who organized multiple protests burned a Quran outside the Swedish parliament building. In Denmark, a protester protested in the same way outside the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Copenhagen.
Due to the constitutional protection of freedom of speech, the Swedish and Danish authorities can only condemn this behavior but cannot stop it. But in order to prevent the situation from worsening, both governments have stated that they are considering amending the law. The Swedish government claims to be studying similar solutions, but both right-wing political parties in the two countries have expressed opposition and declared that they cannot compromise on freedom of speech.
The foreign ministers of the members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation held a special meeting on July 31st to discuss recent developments and strongly condemn the burning of the Quran. After the meeting, the foreign ministers called on member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in a statement to take appropriate political or economic action against countries involved in the desecration of the Quran. After the meeting, Swedish Foreign Minister Bilstrom and Danish Foreign Minister Rasmussen respectively posted on X, stating that they will continue their dialogue with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and carefully study the resolutions and suggestions proposed by the organization.