Half of Denmark Backs Ban on Quran Desecration: Poll
In the survey, conducted by institute Voxmeter on behalf of news wire Ritzau, 1,000 people were asked whether they want the proposed law change to be adopted.
Some 50.2 percent answered “yes”, 35 percent said “no” and 14.8 percent did not know, the pollster found.
The poll is the first to measure public opinion on the question since the government last week proposed a law change that would effectively ban public burnings of the Quran.
The government is set to table a bill that will "prohibit the inappropriate treatment of objects of significant religious importance to a religious community," Justice Minister Hummelgaard said last Friday, adding that the legislation was aimed especially at burnings and desecrations in public places.
The new legislation would be included in chapter 12 of Denmark's penal code, which covers national security.
Hummelgaard said that national security was the main "motivation" for the ban.
"We can't continue to stand by with our arms crossed while several individuals do everything they can to provoke violent reactions," he said.
At the end of July, the government said it would explore legal means of stopping protests involving the burning of holy texts in certain circumstances.
That came after diplomatic and public backlash in several Muslim countries after the Quran was repeatedly desecrated by individuals in Denmark and Sweden.
"The government desired a limited and precise legal intervention," Hummelgaard said last week.
"[Quran burnings] damage Denmark and Danish interests. It it risks damaging security for Danes abroad and here in Denmark," he said.
In a similar poll before the government announced the proposal, Voxmeter found 48 percent of its sample of 1,002 respondents to be in favour of banning Quran burnings.
Source: thelocal.dk
