STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Limited political will and the complexity of the process make it unlikely for Sweden to ban Koran burnings, a controversial act that has sparked outrage in the Muslim world, according to experts and politicians on Friday.
On Thursday, the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad was stormed and set on fire by supporters of Shi’ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. This was in anticipation of a burning of the Muslim holy book outside the Iraqi Embassy in Stockholm, the latest in a series of similar acts in Sweden in recent years.
In response to the incident, Iraq withdrew its charge d’affaires in Stockholm, and Sweden temporarily relocated its seconded embassy staff and operations from Baghdad to ensure their safety.
With Sweden’s current laws, politics, and social traditions, it is unlikely that such incidents will be halted in the near future. Swedish courts have ruled that the police cannot intervene in burnings of holy scriptures. While the recent Koran burnings could be tested in court for inciting hate, it is widely believed that the act is protected by the constitution’s far-reaching freedom of speech laws.
Changing the constitution is a lengthy process that requires multiple votes in parliament and a general election.
Last week, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s government announced that they would explore the possibility of amending the Public Order Act to grant the police the power to stop Koran burnings, citing concerns over national security.
The issue of Koran burnings has potentially jeopardized Sweden’s accession to NATO, as Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has warned that Sweden would not be accepted into the alliance if such acts took place in the country.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation recently passed a resolution in the United Nations Human Rights Council, calling for states to review laws that prevent the prosecution of “religious hatred.”
Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch of the Christian Democrats stated that Sweden determines its own legislation and would not be influenced by other countries’ faiths or laws. She also emphasized that burning scriptures, while reprehensible, is not illegal in Sweden.
Any potential change in the law to make such acts illegal is highly unlikely to pass, as the minority government relies on the support of the Sweden Democrats, an anti-immigrant and critical of Islam party.
In neighboring Finland, desecration of holy scriptures in public is illegal. Sweden had a similar law but repealed it in the 1970s.
Sweden has laws banning hate speech against ethnic, national, and religious groups, as well as based on sexual orientation. However, burning holy scriptures has not been classified as hate speech but rather as acceptable criticism.
Journalist and freedom of speech expert Nils Funcke expressed skepticism about the proposed changes to the Public Order Act, stating that they would clash with Sweden’s constitutionally protected freedom of assembly. He also highlighted the potential risks of discouraging demonstrations against leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In a 2022 Gallup poll, Sweden topped the list as the country with the highest percentage of citizens stating they do not believe in God. The country abolished laws that made criticism or mockery of religion and the royal family punishable in the 1970s.
“It is our tradition,” said Funcke. “The argument was that there was no reason for religion to be free from criticism when all other areas of society could be discussed freely.”
(Reporting by Johan Ahlander; Editing by Frances Kerry)
Credit: The Star : News Feed
