Denmark to strengthen border control after burning Koran

OSLO, Aug 4 (Reuters) – Danish police are tightening border controls after recent Koran burnings have affected the security situation, the Justice Ministry said on Thursday, following a similar decision by Sweden earlier in the week.

Anti-Islamic activists in Denmark and Sweden have burned and damaged several copies of the Muslim holy book in recent months, inciting Indignation in the Muslim world and demands that governments ban such acts.

“The authorities concluded today that it is necessary at this time to increase the focus on who enters Denmark, in order to respond to specific and current threats,” the Danish ministry said in a statement.

Initially, stricter border controls will be implemented until August 10, he said.

“The recent Koran fires, as the security police have said, have affected the current security situation,” Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard said in the statement.

The decision to strengthen border controls with more checks on travelers arriving in Denmark follows a similar movement by sweden

Both governments have condemned the burnings and said they are considering new laws that could stop them. But domestic critics say that such decisions undermine freedom of expression that is protected in their constitutions.

Muslims view the Qur’an as the literal word of God, and actual or alleged desecration of the holy book often sparks protests in the Muslim world.

Reporting by Terje Solsvik; Edited by Tom Hogue, Robert Birsel

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