By Daniel Nardini
In an effort to prevent Danish nationals from becoming targets of Islamic extremists in Muslim countries, the Danish government has instituted a ban on burning the Quran by Danish nationals in Denmark in front of Muslim countries’ embassies and consulates. It is simply the Danish government tweaking the constitutional rights of Danish citizens to burn anything they want in the name of free speech. Danes will simply not be allowed to destroy Islam’s holy book in front of embassies or consulates of Muslim countries.
This is understandable because destroying any holy book is a serious offense to so many people of a faith they may hold dear. Would Danish people like it if the Bible is burned in front of them? How about destroying a portrait of the Queen? Danish people hold the Danish Queen, Margrethe II, dear, and any destruction of her portrait would be a heinous act to them. So it is true of the Quran. Right wing political extremists in Denmark have been doing this for years to cause hatred and dissension in Danish society. It has been only recently that many Danish people have begun to realize that this is what such extremists want. These extremists do not want Danish people to get along with immigrants from Muslim countries.
Book burning was only part of their campaign to make Denmark as hateful and racist as possible. This also happened during the Trump presidency in America, and Americans woke up to this sad reality in 2020. Do not get me wrong; freedom of speech is the cornerstone to the U.S. Constitution. But just as yelling “fire” in a movie theater when there is no fire is unacceptable, so is burning and destroying books and images to incite race hatred and division as a prelude in trying to tear the rich and diverse fabric of society apart for ulterior motives. I am hoping that the Danish people are waking up to this fact; that the right wing extremists are trying to drive a wedge between the Danish people and those non-Danish immigrants who came to their country. This happened in America, and it is happening in Denmark as well as other parts of Europe. And it all begins with the burning of a single book.
Preventing Danes from Burning the Quran
By Daniel Nardini
This is understandable because destroying any holy book is a serious offense to so many people of a faith they may hold dear. Would Danish people like it if the Bible is burned in front of them? How about destroying a portrait of the Queen? Danish people hold the Danish Queen, Margrethe II, dear, and any destruction of her portrait would be a heinous act to them. So it is true of the Quran. Right wing political extremists in Denmark have been doing this for years to cause hatred and dissension in Danish society. It has been only recently that many Danish people have begun to realize that this is what such extremists want. These extremists do not want Danish people to get along with immigrants from Muslim countries.
Book burning was only part of their campaign to make Denmark as hateful and racist as possible. This also happened during the Trump presidency in America, and Americans woke up to this sad reality in 2020. Do not get me wrong; freedom of speech is the cornerstone to the U.S. Constitution. But just as yelling “fire” in a movie theater when there is no fire is unacceptable, so is burning and destroying books and images to incite race hatred and division as a prelude in trying to tear the rich and diverse fabric of society apart for ulterior motives. I am hoping that the Danish people are waking up to this fact; that the right wing extremists are trying to drive a wedge between the Danish people and those non-Danish immigrants who came to their country. This happened in America, and it is happening in Denmark as well as other parts of Europe. And it all begins with the burning of a single book.