Despite Protests, There is Insufficient Political Consensus in Sweden for a 'Ban on Burning the Quran'

Despite the distress of Muslims and protests in the Islamic world due to the burning of the Quran in Sweden, experts and politicians say that a 'ban on burning the Quran' would be a complex and difficult action given existing laws and social traditions in Sweden. According to Reuters, following widespread protests by Muslims, the Swedish government is seeking to make changes to the 'Public Order Act' as recent incidents, including the attack and burning of the Swedish embassy in Baghdad, have raised concerns about 'Sweden's national security.' At the same time, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson is worried that 'these changes' in the Public Order Act could challenge Sweden's constitutional protections for 'freedom of expression.' On the other hand, Turkey's protest against the burning of the Quran has potentially jeopardized Sweden's request to join NATO, a request that Sweden had been vigorously pursuing following Russia's attack on Ukraine. However, any 'legal change' that would make actions like Quran burning illegal is also highly unlikely to be passed, as the current minority government relies on support from the Sweden Democrats, a party that is 'anti-immigrant' and 'critical of Islam.' Recently, a planned event in Sweden to burn the Quran led to hundreds storming the Swedish embassy in Baghdad and setting it on fire. The Iraqi government also protested by expelling the Swedish ambassador. Earlier, the U.S. State Department condemned the attack on the Swedish embassy in Baghdad in a statement released on Thursday. The statement read: 'The freedom of peaceful assembly is a hallmark of democracy, but what happened last night was an unlawful act of violence.'