Sweden’s government will launch an inquiry on legal changes to help stop Koran burnings that have sparked anger in the Muslim world and threats from extremists.
(Bloomberg) — Sweden’s government will launch an inquiry on legal changes to help stop Koran burnings that have sparked anger in the Muslim world and threats from extremists.
The decision comes after the Nordic nation on Thursday announced an increased level of terrorist threat, following a series of public desecrations of Islam’s holy book. The events have led to protests and riots, and in at least two cases, people have been arrested suspected of plotting terrorist attacks in the country.
The probe will analyze what room there is under Sweden’s constitution — which has far-reaching protection of freedom of speech and assembly — for tools to consider national security when determining whether a public event should be allowed, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said in an opinion piece in daily Dagens Nyheter which was co-signed by leaders of two junior government parties.
Based on current laws, 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.
“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, Kristersson and his colleagues said. “This is a security vulnerability.”
Read More: Why Koran Burning Has Sweden and Denmark in a Knot: QuickTake
The party leaders also rejected the idea of bringing back anything akin to blasphemy laws that Sweden abolished in 1970.
“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,” they said. “Sweden is and will remain a country whose people have religious freedom, but it will also ensure the right to criticize religion.”
The move is still controversial, and there is currently no majority in parliament in favor of changing the law on public order. The nationalist Sweden Democrats, on whose support the government is dependent, oppose the inquiry, they said in a statement on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
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