Holy Quran desecration, Sweden intends to amend "freedom of speech" law

  Sweden says it has no plans to make sweeping changes to free speech laws following several acts of desecration, ... including the burning of the Holy Quran. In the latest sacrilegious act against the Holy Quran, two men set fire to the holy book during a protest outside parliament in Stockholm on Monday. The move sparked further outrage in the Muslim world and renewed tensions between Sweden and Muslim countries. On Monday, the Jeddah-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) expressed "disappointment" with Sweden and Denmark for failing to act. The Swedish government condemned the acts of desecration but said it could not prevent the incidents under constitutional laws protecting free speech. "We support Swedish freedom of speech," Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said at a news conference on Tuesday. He urged people to use free speech responsibly and respectfully.

“In a free country like Sweden, you have a lot of freedom. But with that great degree of freedom comes a great degree of responsibility." "Anything legal is not appropriate. It can be terrible but still permissible. We try to promote a respectful tone between countries and peoples,” he added. Kristersson said his government would look into measures that would allow police to stop public burning of holy books if there was a clear threat to national security. The prime minister he also said that an official decision to step up border controls is expected on Thursday. Over the past month, the Muslim holy book has repeatedly been subjected to acts of desecration by extremist elements in Sweden and Denmark. The sacrilegious acts have ignited the ire of the entire Muslim community around the world.Several countries have summoned or expelled Swedish and Danish ambassadors.