Denmark’s courts have dusted off rarely used blasphemy laws to charge a 42-year old man accused of burning a Koran.
A Dane whose identity has not been confirmed by authorities allegedly uploaded a Koran-burning video to a Facebook group called “Yes to Freedom — No to Islam” on Dec. 27, 2015. The individual, known as John Salvesen on the social media platform, is charged with violating blasphemy laws written in 1866. His name will be made public if he is found guilty.
Rasmus Paludan, the man’s lawyer, said that swapping out hate speech charges last year for a count of blasphemy demonstrates a double standard.
“Considering that it is legal to burn a Bible in Denmark, I’m surprised then that it would be guilty [sic] to burn the Koran,” he said during a phone interview, The New York Times reported Thursday.
The lawyer will also argue that his client burned the holy book in “self-defense” since it “incites war and violence.”
Jan Reckendorff, the regional prosecutor who initiated the charge, said in a statement: “It is the prosecution’s view that circumstances involving the burning of holy books such as the Bible and the Koran can in certain cases be a violation of the blasphemy clause, which covers public scorn or mockery of religion.”
The Times noted that no Danes have been convicted of breaking blasphemy laws since 1946.
Jacob Mchangama, director of Justitia, a Danish civil liberties group, said the case is a “sad development” for those who care about free speech, but “one that mirrors developments elsewhere” in Europe.
Denmark made national news in 2005 when riots broke out in the Middle East over “Muhammad” cartoons published by the newspaper Jyllands-Posten. Prosecutors did not level charges against the publication.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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