Danish Blasphemy Law Used for First Time in 46 Years after Man Burns Quran

© Esam Omran al-Fetori / Reuters

A man who filmed himself burning the Quran and posted the video on Facebook has become the first person to be charged under Denmark's blasphemy law since 1971.

The 42 year old from northern Jutland filmed himself burning the sacred book of Islam in his backyard on December 27, 2015. He then posted the video on an anti-Islamic Facebook page called, ‘Yes to freedom – no to Islam’

“Consider your neighbour: it stinks when it burns," the man wrote in text accompanying the post.

“It is the prosecution's view that circumstances involving the burning of holy books such as the Bible and the Quran can, in certain cases, be a violation of the blasphemy clause, which covers public scorn or mockery of religion,” Danish prosecutor Jan Reckendorff said in a statement announcing his decision to bring charges over the incident.

"It is our opinion that the circumstances of this case implies that there should be a prosecution so that the courts now have the opportunity to take a position on the matter.”

Publicly insulting or degrading religious doctrines or worship is punishable under clause 140 of Denmark’s criminal code. Anyone found guilty can be imprisoned or fined, however this is only the fourth time a blasphemy prosecution has been attempted in the country.

In 1938 four people were sentenced for putting up anti-Semitic posters and leaflets and in 1946 two people were fined after acting out a “baptism” at a ball in Copenhagen. The last prosecution attempt came 46 years ago in 1971, when two Denmark Radio producers were acquitted after airing a song mocking Christianity.

Several other cases have been considered without charges being brought. The most controversial incident came in 2005 when prosecutors declined to invoke the blasphemy legislation after the Jyllands-Posten newspaper published cartoons mocking the prophet Mohammed.

As Islamic scholars believe that the Koran forbids depictions of the prophet Mohammed, the cartoons generated widespread anger among Muslims across the world.

The ‘cartoon crisis’ sparked several violent protests as angry demonstrators burned Danish flags and torched diplomatic offices. The Irish Times reports that more than 200 deaths have been linked to the controversy.

The Quran may forbid depictions of Mohammed - why, I do not know, he was just a prophet, but the Quran does not apply to non-Muslims. Just as the Bible does not apply to non-Christians except as reference to their judgment and ultimate destiny. There are billions of depictions of Jesus Christ who is the Son of God, not a mere prophet, and while the Bible forbids it, Christians don't go insane when they see it. 

What Islam is Teaching in Canada

Canada Home to Islamic Radicals

by Tarek Fatah
The Toronto Sun


In November 2014, while testifying before the Senate Committee on National Security and Defence, I raised the issue of Islamic clerics using mosque sermons to attack the foundational principles of Western civilization and liberal secular democracy.

Liberal Senator Grant Mitchell was outraged by my testimony that at most Canadian mosques, the Friday congregation includes a ritual prayer asking, "Allah to give victory to Muslims over the 'Kufaar' (non-Muslims)." In a heated exchange with me, the senator suggested I wasn't telling the truth, implying I was motivated by Islamophobia. Sadly, Sen. Mitchell is not alone in such views.

But neither is there any let-up in the attacks on Canadian values emanating from many mosque pulpits and Islamic conferences hosted by radical Islamist groups.

For example, in a sermon on Friday, May 6, delivered at a mosque in Edmonton, an imam invoked the memory of Prophet Muhammad to whip up hatred against Israel. He declared peace accords with Israel are "useless garbage" and vowed that Jerusalem will be conquered "through blood."

Attacks on Canadian values frequently emanate from mosques and conferences hosted by radical Islamist groups.

In February, the same cleric predicted Islam would soon conquer Rome, "the heart of the Christian state."

The Edmonton mosque diatribe was not isolated.

On May 13, just north of Toronto, an Islamic society hosted a celebration of Iranian mass murderer, Ayatollah Khomeini. The poster promoting the event described Khomeini as a, "Liberator and Reformer of the Masses."

On Saturday, the Islamist group Hizb-ut-Tahrir, banned in some countries, hosted a conference to discuss the re-establishment of a global Islamic caliphate.

Re-establishment? Seems to be a little historical revisionism.

Pakistan-Canadian writer Tahir Gora went to cover the event, but was barred from entering the hall. "They said this was a closed door, in-camera meeting for our supporters," Gora told me after he was asked to leave.

A speaker addresses the Hizb-ut-Tahrir conference in Mississauga, Ontario, on May 21.

Fortunately, one Palestinian-Canadian woman was able to enter the event.

She shared with me some of the proceedings from inside the gathering. "I walked into the banquet hall with approximately 100 attendees who were gender segregated. I sat next to a woman who said she had been in Canada for 40 years. When I asked her if she felt any disconnect between enjoying 40 years of democracy, yet supporting the Hizb-ut-Tahrir who wanted to end it, she explained that democracy has done nothing good to people, so she and other believers follow Allah's rule."

"The first speaker reminded Muslims that they are obligated to implement Allah's orders that fulfil the Islamic State. It is "not permissible for us to choose' he said, citing the Quran. However, he said it was necessary to win the public's hearts and minds; and to partner with people of power, citing examples from the life of the Prophet."

"At the end, a three-minute video was presented to demonstrate the collective oil and natural gas production capabilities of the Muslim world, the human capital needed to mine and process these resources ... the military power required to protect them and the types of weapons needed to make such a military effective."

While this was unfolding we received news that the Trudeau government, as part of its infrastructure development program, had authorised a $200,000 grant to a southern Ontario mosque with links to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Which begs the question: Who's minding the store?

Tarek Fatah, a founder of the Muslim Canadian Congress and columnist at the Toronto Sun, is a Robert J. and Abby B. Levine Fellow at the Middle East Forum.