Sweden, Threatened by Islamists over Quran Burnings, Implements De Facto Blasphemy Law
Sweden, under pressure from Islamists angered by Quran burnings, is embroiled in a nationwide debate over whether to curtail its constitutionally-protected freedom of expression and introduce a blasphemy law.
Sweden, Threatened by Islamists over Quran Burnings, Implements De Facto Blasphemy Law
Soeren Kern | Focus on Western Islamism | February 24, 2023
Sweden, under pressure from Islamists angered by recent Quran burnings, is embroiled in a nationwide debate over whether to curtail its long and storied tradition of constitutionally-protected freedom of expression and introduce a blasphemy law. The free speech versus security trade-off is aimed at staving off reprisals from Muslim extremists in Sweden and elsewhere.
Swedish authorities took the first step in that direction on February 8, when, in a reversal of longstanding policy, they refused to allow activists to burn a Quran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm. They subsequently prohibited a Quran burning rally that was planned for February 20 in front of the Iraqi embassy in the Swedish capital. Both bans are being appealed in court.
