03/07/2024 Denmark (International Christian Concern) – In late December 2023, Danish parliament officially amended a portion of its penal code condemning blasphemy. The portion of the code states, “[A] person is to be punished [when they] publicly or with the intent of [influencing] a wider circle are guilty of [the crime] of recognized religious community, or an object that appears to be such a text.”
The amendment appears in section 110 of the Danish penal code which discusses the public mockery of a foreign nation through various methods. The addition in this specific portion of the text clarifies that the aim is to protect Danish foreign relations. Despite the wording and location however, blasphemy laws of any sort have been viewed as extremely problematic throughout the world with Denmark abolishing its previous blasphemy law in 2017.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released a report on December 26, denouncing the decision made by the Danish parliament. While clarifying that USCIRF condemns the burning of religious texts and other objects of religious significance, USCIRF Commissioner David Curry critiqued the Danish government saying, “Criminalizing blasphemy is the wrong approach and not effective in addressing either security concerns or the underlying hatred experienced by religious communities.
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