Why Can’t Sweden and Denmark Stop Koran Burnings?

A series of public desecrations of Islam’s holy book, the Koran, in Sweden and Denmark have made the Nordic countries the target of anger among many Muslims, straining diplomatic ties and — according to security services — increasing the risk of terrorism. Disinformation campaigns in the Muslim world have further fanned the flames against Sweden, with its accession into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization at stake. The governments in Stockholm and Copenhagen are looking into legal options to block public displays that threaten national security, but their scope for action is limited by constitutional protections for freedom of expression and right of assembly.

The debate over Islam’s role in Scandinavia has been building for decades as consecutive waves of immigration have brought increasing numbers of Muslims. In parallel, nationalist movements have gained political influence in both Denmark and Sweden, with their more radical exponents turning to confrontation and provocation as means to raise their profiles. A Danish-Swedish far-right agitator, Rasmus Paludan, had earlier staged a number of Koran burnings but it was a January 2023 event that thrust him — and Sweden — onto the global stage. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cited the public desecration as a reason to block Sweden from joining NATO. Several others in Sweden then jumped on the bandwagon, filing applications to burn the Koran, the Bible and the Torah under police protection. In June and July, public burnings of the Koran staged by an Iraqi man who came to Sweden in 2018 set off a new wave of protests.