Sources: Six anti-Islam demonstrations today in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, and one against them.
The Danish capital, Copenhagen, will witness six anti-Islam demonstrations and one demonstration against critics of Islam on Friday, according to TV2.
The demonstrations are being planned at a time when the burning of the Quran in both Denmark and Sweden is causing widespread anger in the Middle East.
Danish diplomats in Egypt and Saudi Arabia were recently recalled following the burning of Qur’ans in Denmark, and according to the source, the Danish Foreign Ministry does not wish to comment on the new demonstrations, according to TV2.
But after last Friday's demonstration in front of the Iraqi embassy in Copenhagen, the foreign minister commented
Lars Løkke Rasmussen commented on the current situation, saying, “I condemn this kind of stupidity that a small minority of people committed yesterday in front of the Iraqi embassy. It is a shameful act to violate the religion of others.” In a written statement on Saturday, Rasmussen added that this applies to both the burning of the Quran and other religious symbols. However, he also emphasized that there is freedom of expression in Denmark: “It has no other purpose than to create division. But organizing such demonstrations in Denmark is not against the law. Lars Løkke Rasmussen said, ”We have freedom of expression in Denmark, and burning religious books is not a criminal offense,’” according to the source.
The burning of Qur’ans has recently been repeated in Denmark and Sweden. On July 20, protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad and tried to set fire to the embassy in response to the burning of the Qur’an in Sweden. The offices of the Danish Refugee Council in Iraq were also attacked, and the following day the Qur’an was burned in Copenhagen in front of the Iraqi embassy.
The burning of the Quran has provoked a strong reaction from several Middle Eastern countries against both Denmark and Sweden. The Iraqi Foreign Ministry condemned the events in Copenhagen, stating that authorities in EU countries “must quickly reconsider what is called freedom of expression and the right to demonstrate.” Additionally, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) convened an emergency meeting of the foreign ministers of its 57 predominantly Muslim member states to discuss the Quran burnings in Denmark and Sweden. Egypt summoned the Danish ambassador to Cairo, Anne Dorthe Regelsen, on Thursday and urged Denmark and other countries where Quran burnings have occurred to take concrete steps to definitively stop these regrettable incidents. Later, Saudi Arabia summoned the Danish chargé d'affaires in the Kingdom following the Quran burnings and delivered a protest note demanding “a halt to these reprehensible acts, which violate all religious teachings and international laws and norms,” according to a statement issued by the Saudi Foreign Ministry on Thursday evening.
