Following a series of public desecrations of Islam’s holy book - the Quran - in Sweden, the country’s government will finally launch an inquiry in the possibility of legal changes that could put a stop to such actions.
Sweden’s constitution will be scrutinized to determine possible ‘wiggle room’ that would allow for 'national security' considerations when requests are granted for holding a public event, according to Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's remarks in the daily Dagens Nyheter.
Sweden, like Denmark, witnessed several Quran-burning demonstrations over the past few months. The actions heated up the situation, triggering massive protests and even cases when suspects have been taken into custody for allegedly plotting terrorist attacks in the country. Last month, hundreds of Iraqi protesters stormed the Swedish embassy on the heels of another Quran burning in Stockholm. The backlash brought condemnation by a majority of Muslim countries, and complicated Sweden’s accession to NATO (Turkey’s ratification of its membership remains pending).
Swedish police have attempted to deny permission for Quran-burning protests, as was the case outside the Turkish and Iraqi embassies earlier this year. Law enforcement claimed that bans were required as Quran-burning made Sweden a "higher-priority target for attacks." But the country's administrative court decision stepped in, ruling that these considerations are not sufficient to limit the right to demonstrate, and that such protests are protected by the country's constitution. As per the law, Swedish police can deny permits for public events only in the case of ‘war’, or ‘risk of war’, or if there is an immediate threat to local order and security.
Finally, the Swedish Security Service warned that the Quran-burning actions were having a negative impact on domestic security. According to Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Sweden was facing its most serious security situation since World War II.
“This means there is a gap between a situation where there is a risk of war and threats to public order in a specific place. This is a security vulnerability," Kristersson and leaders of two junior government parties told local media.
According to the party leaders, a reinstatement of blasphemy laws that Sweden abolished in 1970 is off the table, and there must be another way to deal with the situation, like changing the law on public order. However, there is reportedly no majority in parliament in favor of tweaking this law.
“The government wants to safeguard Sweden’s freedom of expression, which provides the right to express views that others find provocative and hurtful, including about religion. Sweden is and will remain a country whose people have religious freedom, but it will also ensure the right to criticize religion,” junior government party leaders said.