Swedish Court Sentences Man for Burning Quran and Threatening Muslims
In a recent ruling, a Swedish court has stated that burning the Quran is not illegal in the country. However, the court found that the intention of the 27-year-old convicted man was to threaten Muslims and express contempt towards them.
“The video was targeted at Muslims, not Islam as a religion,” the court stated in its declaration. The man has been given a suspended sentence with a two-year probation period during which he must behave properly.
The convicted man recorded a video in 2020, showing him burning the Quran on a grill in front of a cathedral in Linköping, central Sweden, along with bacon. Bacon is considered a forbidden food in Islam as it is made from pork. The video also featured a derogatory message about the Prophet Muhammad.
The man then posted the video on the internet and placed the burnt sacred book of Islam and bacon in front of a city mosque. The video was accompanied by music that the court deemed closely associated with the terrorist attacks on mosques in New Zealand in 2019, which claimed the lives of 51 people.
An Iraqi man, who is responsible for the majority of Quran burning protests in Sweden this year, is currently under investigation for the same crime for which the Thursday’s verdict was delivered.
How did the court distinguish the man’s intention behind burning the Quran from the act itself
Man Convicted for Burning Quran and Threatening Muslims in Sweden
A recent ruling by a Swedish court has garnered attention as it ruled that burning the Quran is not illegal in the country. However, the court made it clear that the intention behind the act was to threaten Muslims and show contempt towards them.
In its declaration, the court specifically stated that the video, in which a 27-year-old man burned the Quran on a grill in front of a cathedral in Linköping, central Sweden, was targeted at Muslims, not Islam as a religion. The video also featured the man placing bacon, which is forbidden in Islam as it is made from pork, alongside the burnt Quran, along with a derogatory message about the Prophet Muhammad.
The man then uploaded the video on the internet and placed the burnt Quran and bacon in front of a city mosque. To make matters worse, the video was accompanied by music that the court deemed closely associated with the terrorist attacks on mosques in New Zealand in 2019, where 51 innocent lives were lost.
As a result, the man has received a suspended sentence with a two-year probation period, during which he must behave properly. This ruling comes as another Iraqi man, who has been responsible for the majority of Quran burning protests in Sweden this year, is currently under investigation for the same crime.
While the court acknowledges the legality of burning the Quran itself, it strongly condemns any act that incites hatred, threatens individuals or communities, and promotes contempt towards any religious group. This case serves as a reminder that the concept of freedom of expression does not absolve individuals from the consequences of their actions when they are intended to cause harm or discrimination to others.
Although the ruling highlights the complexities surrounding freedom of expression and the boundaries of hate speech, it is crucial to continue promoting a society that respects diversity, religious freedoms, and interfaith dialogue, while denouncing acts fueled by bigotry, intolerance, and hostility towards any group.
