The Koran Law, introduced under the argument of protecting Danish citizens from terrorist threats, may have been in vain. The government justified the necessity of this legislation by citing an increasing risk of terrorism; however, a new study suggests there is no scientific basis for believing that such laws make a population safer.
Christian Bjørnskov, a professor of economics at Aarhus University, is a co-author of the study, which examines the relationship between blasphemy laws and terrorism over a 50-year period. The research includes data from 162 countries and concludes that there is no evidence to support the claim that laws like the Koran Law reduce the risk of terrorism. “When you understand the relationship between freedom of speech and terrorism, the government’s claims simply do not hold up,” Bjørnskov stated.
The government, which primarily emphasized security concerns as the main reason for the law’s introduction, remains firm in its decision. Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard has previously stated that the safety of Danish citizens was the most compelling argument for the legislation. He referred to assessments from the Police Intelligence Service (Politiets Efterretningstjeneste – PET), which indicated an escalated terrorist threat prior to the law’s adoption. At that time, PET assessed that the threat level against Denmark was ‘elevated’ within the scale of five.
Despite the government’s conviction regarding the law’s necessity, the study raises an interesting point: only six charges have been filed under the Koran Law since its enactment. Bjørnskov argues that the outrage from Muslim countries resulting from the burning of the Koran was strategic and linked to those countries’ ambitions to influence international politics. Therefore, he contends that no definitive conclusions can be drawn about the law’s effect based on the diminished anger in the Muslim world.
The study’s conclusions cast doubt on whether the security concerns presented by the government were truly warranted. The discussion around the effectiveness and necessity of the Koran Law is thus expected to continue unabated.