In response to Muslim riots in the city of Malmo over right-wing Danish activists setting a Quran on fire, 15 Muslim congregations are pushing the Swedish government to changes it constitution to outlaw mocking of Islam and other religions.
The move to change Sweden’s constitution has become the latest challenge for Sweden’s multicultural society. The country, which is largely a secular society that values freedom of speech, is under enormous pressure ban speech that was once protected, especially over fears that similar incidents could result in further rioting from Muslim youth.
On Aug. 29, in Malmö, Sweden, Islamic and anti-racist protesters rioted in response to far-right supporters burning the Quran. According to reports in the Swedish press, the leader of the Danish far-right Stram Kurs party, Rasmus Paludan, who was barred from entering Sweden for two years, has been promoting anti-Islamic demonstrations in Stockholm and other Swedish cities in recent weeks, Inside Over reported.
On Aug. 28, Paludan crossed the border to go to Malmö, but he was met by a large number of police officers at Lernacken station and forced to leave the country immediately. Although Paludan never managed to cross into the country, other Danish activist managed to set the Quran on fire. Although Muslim countries like Turkey condemned the burning of the Quran, there was no condemnation regarding the riots that followed.
Paludan is open that he has the clear and simple goal of stopping Islamization in Sweden.
“The goal is to stop the Islamization of Sweden and return to the levels of Islamization from the 1960s or so. One million people should return to their Muslim countries of origin or convert to something other than Islam. It is clear that this is the goal,” Paludan said, promising to go on until every Muslim leaves Sweden.
Since the end of August, the ethnic-nationalist anti-Islamic Hard Line party has burned several Qurans in what it describes as the Swedish no-go zones, particularly in the Rosengård neighborhood of Malmö.
‘Let’s ban targeting Islam in the Constitution’
Now, the Islamic organizations in Stockholm want to make a radical change the Swedish constitution, and ban the mocking of Islam and other religions, Dagens Nyhether reported.
“We don’t want it to be legal in Sweden to burn holy scriptures like the Koran or the Bible and at the same time it should be forbidden to mock various religions,” said Hussein Farah Warsame, who is a member of one of the 15 Muslim congregations lobbying for a change.
“We want a change in politics,” emphasized Abdulla Ali Abdi of the Tensta mosque.
But Paludan refuses to give up. On Saturday, the police rejected a request to hold a demonstration presented by his party. The authorities believe that there was a risk of a situation involving serious threats to public order and security.
The Danish anti-Islam lawyer and activist wrote in the request that the aim was to demonstrate for freedom of expression and to mock and humiliate Islam.
