Denmark is taking threats from the Islamist terrorist network al-Qaeda very seriously, Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard said on Tuesday, according to broadcaster DR.

On Monday, reports had emerged that al-Qaeda was calling on Muslims to launch retaliation attacks for recent desecrations of the Koran in Sweden and Denmark.

The Danish domestic intelligence service PET had earlier confirmed a new threat against Sweden and Denmark, in response to Koran burnings in the two countries.

Several anti-Islamic protests involving the damaging and burning of the Koran in Sweden and Denmark have triggered protests in Muslim-majority countries in recent months.

The reactions in Iraq were particularly strong. In July, the Iraqi government expelled the Swedish ambassador, while demonstrators stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad and set fire to it.

The Koran burnings have been carried out by small groups seeking to provoke Muslims. The protests fall under freedom of speech in both countries and are legal.

Al-Qaeda is said to have posted an online statement calling for severe punishment against everyone involved in such acts, including blowing up Swedish and Danish embassies around the world.

But Hummelgaard reassured Danes that they should not be nervous. Police and secret services were keeping a very close eye on the situation, he said.

He reiterated that the government intended to ban the provocative Koran burnings, however it was initially unclear what steps would be taken.

The terror alert level in Denmark has not been raised, despite the multiple threats. It is currently on the fourth of five levels.

Read more: Denmark ponders law to ban burning of the Koran in front of embassies

Two men burned a copy of the Koran in front of the Swedish parliament on Monday, the latest in a string of demonstrations in which Islam’s holy book was destroyed.

The two trampled on the Koran and then set it on fire, the Swedish news agency TT reported.

The same men have previously attracted attention with Islamophobic actions.

Earlier in July they set fire to a Koran in front of the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm, which led to violent protests in several Muslim countries. In Iraq, a mob stormed the Swedish embassy and the government expelled the Swedish ambassador from the country.

During Monday’s action, the men had no visible supporters cheering them on, TT reported. However, there were about 15 counter-demonstrators.

On Sunday evening, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said he was in close contact with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen about the Koran burnings and they were seeking ways to legally prevent such Islamophobic acts out of concern for public safety.

A week ago, two men burned a book in front of the Iraqi embassy in Copenhagen in an action streamed live on the internet. The men said that the book was the Koran.

“We are in the most serious security situation since World War II, and we know here that both states, state-like actors and individuals can take advantage of the situation,” Kristersson wrote on Instagram.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen spoke on Monday of a “rather high and heightened picture of the terrorist threat.”

The conflict is particularly sensitive for Stockholm, as the Koran burnings were one reason why Turkey had for months blocked Sweden’s bid to join NATO.

But the bar for legal action is high. In Denmark and Sweden, freedom of assembly and demonstration are strongly protected by the constitution. This is one reason why courts in Stockholm have rejected a ban imposed by the police on the Islamophobic protests.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, based in Saudi Arabia, called a special meeting for Monday. In a phone call with Rasmussen, the Danish foreign minister, Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha urged the Scandinavian country to take action to stop the desecrations.

Man Muslims understand the actions as hate crimes not covered by freedom of expression.

In Denmark, politicians are divided. Morten Messerschmidt, the leader of the right-wing populist People’s Party, stressed that the freedom of the West is based on the right to criticize and make fun of a religion.

The leader of the Conservative People’s Party, Søren Pape Poulsen, warned of further demands from Muslim states if the government gave in on the ban on Koran burnings.

“This is only the first step,” he said.

Controversy over what is seen as Islamophobic actions is not new to Denmark.

In 2005, controversial drawings by a Danish cartoonist depicted the Prophet Mohammed with a bomb as a turban. That triggered a wave of violent protests with dozens of deaths, during which Danish embassies were attacked.

The pictorial representation of Mohammed is a taboo in large parts of the Islamic world. In Denmark, where the cartoonist Kurt Westergaard was the main focus, a bitter debate about the limits of freedom of expression followed.

After the artist died in 2021, the newspaper Jyllands-Posten wrote that “Kurt Westergaard’s fight for freedom of expression must not die with him.”

Of the current controversy, Danish Parliament Speaker Søren Gade, defence minister at the time of the cartoon controversy, said Danish interests and the safety of Danes must take precedence.

“I can’t imagine that many Danes lose sleep over the thought that they are not allowed to set fire to holy writings.”

Read more: Denmark ponders law to ban burning of the Koran in front of embassies

Denmark’s foreign minister said on Sunday that the government will seek to make it illegal to desecrate the Koran or other religious holy books in front of foreign embassies in the country.

Foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said in an interview with the Danish public broadcaster DR that the burning of holy scriptures “only serves the purpose of creating division in a world that actually needs unity”.

“That is why we have decided in the government that we will look at how, in very special situations, we can put an end to mockery of other countries, which is in direct conflict with Danish interests and the safety of the Danes,” he said.

A recent string of public Koran desecrations by a handful of anti-Islam activists in Denmark and neighbouring Sweden have sparked angry demonstrations in Muslim countries.

Mr Lokke Rasmussen said the Cabinet of Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is determined to find “a legal tool” to prohibit such acts without compromising freedom of expression, but he acknowledged that would not be easy.

“There must be room for religious criticism, and we have no thoughts of reintroducing a blasphemy clause,” he told DR.

“But when you stand up in front of a foreign embassy and burn a Koran or burn the Torah scroll in front of the Israeli embassy, it serves no other purpose than to mock.”

His comments followed a statement issued late on Sunday by the Danish government saying freedom of expression is one of the most important values in Danish society.

But, it added, the desecration of the Muslim holy book in Denmark has resulted in the nation being viewed in many places around the world “as a country that facilitates insult and denigration of the cultures, religions, and traditions of other countries”.

The government repeated its condemnation of such desecrations, say they are “deeply offensive and reckless acts committed by few individuals” and “do not represent the values the Danish society is built on”.

In Sweden, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Sunday on Instagram that his government is analysing the legal situation regarding desecration of the Koran and other holy books, given the animosity such acts are stirring up against Sweden.

“We are in the most serious security policy situation since the Second World War,” Mr Kristersson said.

The Organisation of Islamic Co-operation has called an emergency remote meeting on Monday to discuss the Koran burnings in Sweden and Denmark.

Read more: Koran burnt in demonstration outside Stockholm mosque

A far-right politician planning to burn a copy of the Koran during a visit to Wakefield will “not be allowed access” into the UK, the security minister has said.

Tom Tugendhat said Danish-Swedish Rasmus Paludan, the leader of the Stram Kurs party founded in 2017, has been added to the “warnings index” and will be barred from entering the country.

Mr Paludan has held several protests in which the Koran was burned, some of which have led to violent counter-protests.

In a Twitter video on Sunday, he said that he plans to burn a copy of the Islamic sacred book in a public square in the English city of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, this week to coincide with Ramadan.

Speaking in the Commons during Home Office questions, Labour MP Simon Lightwood (Wakefield) raised concerns over the potential visit and protest.

He said: “Far-right Islamophic Danish politician Rasmus Paludan said he is going to travel from Denmark to Wakefield for the sole purpose of burning a Koran in a public place.

“Mr Paludan was previously jailed in Denmark for his hateful and racist statements. He is a dangerous man that should not be allowed into this country. Can the Home Secretary assure me and my community that the Government is taking action to prevent this?”

Mr Tugendhat replied: “May I inform the House that Mr Paludan has been added to the warnings index and therefore his travel to the United Kingdom would not be conducive with the public good and he will not be allowed access.”

An Education minister has condemned reported death threats against pupils who allegedly damaged a copy of the Koran as “totally unacceptable”.

Minister for Schools Nick Gibb has said his department is working with Kettlethorpe High School in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, after it suspended four students over the incident.

A copy of the Islamic text was brought to school by a Year 10 pupil reportedly as part of a dare last week, and its cover was slightly torn while smears of dirt were found on some pages.

Headteacher Tudor Griffiths said initial investigations suggest there was “no malicious intent by those involved”.

On Thursday, Mr Gibb condemned reported death threats against the pupils, adding that there is “no blasphemy law” in the UK and schools should be supporting “British values” including “individual liberty”.

He said: “My first priority is always the wellbeing of children and young people.

“The death threats reportedly issued against the pupils are totally unacceptable.

“There is no blasphemy law in this country and schools should be promoting the fundamental British values of the respect for rule of law, individual liberty and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

“The Department for Education is working closely with the school, and I will write to the headteacher and local authority to offer my support.

“Our guidance for schools on how to manage suspensions is clear, stating that all decisions should be reasonable, fair, and proportionate.

“In circumstances where parents feel discipline has not met these standards, they can follow the school’s complaints procedure and raise the issue with the school’s governors or the local authority.”

The school’s headteacher said he first became aware of the incident on February 23, adding that the students were suspended to ensure “they understand why their actions were unacceptable”.

Mr Griffiths said: “We would like to reassure all our community that the holy book remains fully intact and that our initial inquiries indicate there was no malicious intent by those involved.

“However, we have made it very clear that their actions did not treat the Koran with the respect it should have, so those involved have been suspended and we will be working with them to ensure they understand why their actions were unacceptable.”

“Kettlethorpe High School is an inclusive school where we want all our pupils to feel safe and secure,” he added.

“Understanding and respecting each other is a fundamental part of who we are and we are coming together and learning from this.

“With the support of our local Muslim community leaders, we are continuing to investigate thoroughly.”

He said the school’s leaders had met with local Muslim community leaders, councillors and police to share the information they had.

West Yorkshire Police has been contacted for comment.

A 41-year-old man has been stoned to death by a mob for allegedly desecrating the Koran inside a mosque in a village in eastern Pakistan, police have said.

Three police officers also were injured, and more than 80 men have been detained after the incident on Saturday evening in the Khanewal district of Punjab province.

The mosque’s custodian said he saw the man burning the Muslim holy book and told others before informing police, according to a spokesman.

Police rushed to the mosque and found the man surrounded by an angry crowd.

Officer Mohammad Iqbal and two other police personnel tried to take custody of the man, but the group began throwing stones at them, seriously injuring Mr Iqbal and slightly injuring the other two officers.

Munawar Gujjar, chief of Tulamba police station, said he rushed reinforcements to the mosque but they were not in time to stop the mob stoning the man to death before hanging his body from a tree.

The victim was named as Mushtaq Ahmed, 41, who was from a nearby village.

“The ill-fated man has been mentally unstable for the last 15 years and according to his family often went missing from home for days begging and eating whatever he could find,” he said.

Mr Ahmed’s body has been returned to his family.

Police have so far detained about 80 men living in the mosque’s surroundings, but around 300 suspects are said to have taken part in the stoning.

Pakistan’s prime minister Imran Khan expressed his anguish over the stoning, and said he was seeking a report from Punjab’s chief minister on the police handling of the case. He said they had “failed in their duty”.

“We have zero tolerance for anyone taking the law into their own hands and mob lynching will be dealt with with the full severity of the law,” Mr Khan said in a tweet hours after the incident.

The prime minister also asked the Punjab police chief for a report on the actions taken against perpetrators of the lynching.

The killing comes months after the lynching of a Sri Lankan manager of a sporting goods factory in Sialkot in Punjab province on December 3 who was accused by workers of blasphemy.

International and national rights groups say blasphemy accusations have often been used to intimidate religious minorities and settle personal scores. It is a crime punishable by death in Pakistan.

During 2015, we saw an increasing number of reports of anti-Muslim graffiti which have been posted on street corners through to bus stops and advertisement hoardings. The language of bigotry may well be changing, but the impacts of it can be significant, given the anger that it generates which can become counter-productive for community relations.

We received this report in today, showing graffiti that has been drawn within a toilet in busy Doncaster station.

To add further insult, the terms, “filthy Muslim pigs” with references to toilet paper as pages of the Holy Qur’an are made.

We have informed relevant officials at Doncaster station to remove this graffiti.

If you come across such graffiti in the future, please do not hesitate to contact us in Tell MAMA. (E-mail: info@tellmamauk.org, twitter: @tellmamauk, or you can report through our web-site: www.tellmamauk.org.) We take a pro-active approach to tackling such issues by getting authorities to remove such bigoted material.

Tell MAMA also runs a helpline service which runs from 9 am to 6 pm on weekdays. The service will be available again on the 3rd of January 2016.

The post Anti-Muslim Graffiti Proliferation is Worrying – this in Doncaster Station appeared first on TELL MAMA.