Sweden’s Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer stated that the government was looking into making it illegal to desecrate the Holy Quran or other religious texts after recent Holy Quran burnings “damaged” the nation’s security.
On the first day of Eid al Adha, a man who migrated from Iraq to Sweden burnt pages of the Holy Quran in front of a mosque in Stockholm, igniting anger throughout the Muslim world and receiving the sternest rebuke from Pope Francis.
In response to the event, the Swedish Security Services asserted that the country was less safe as a result of the action.
This year, multiple requests for authorization to stage rallies and burn the Holy Quran were denied by the authorities because of security concerns.
However, Swedish courts have overruled police rulings, contending that such actions are allowed by the extensive free speech rules of the nation.
Strommer, however, stated Thursday that the government was examining the circumstances and deciding whether to alter the law in an interview with the Aftonbladet newspaper.
The justice minister told Aftonbladet, “We have to ask ourselves if the existing system is good or whether there is a need to review it.”
Sweden has become a “prioritized target” for strikes, he continued.
We can see that the burning of the Quran last week has resulted in threats to our internal security, he continued.
As a result of the event, Sweden’s application to join NATO has suffered. According to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Sweden’s application cannot be approved until the burning of the Holy Quran has ceased.
