Why does Sweden allow Quran burnings? Like much of West, it has no blasphemy laws

By KARL RITTER
Associated Press

STOCKHOLM (AP) — A recent string of public desecrations of the Quran by a handful of anti-Islam activists in Sweden has sparked an angry reaction in Muslim countries and raised questions about why such acts are allowed. There is no law in Sweden specifically prohibiting the burning or desecration of the Quran or other religious texts. Like many Western countries, Sweden doesn’t have any blasphemy laws. Sweden’s hate speech law prohibits incitement against groups of people based on religion, and some say burning the Quran constitutes incitement against Muslims. Others say such acts are targeting the religion of Islam rather than practitioners of the faith, and that criticism of religion must be covered by freedom of speech, even when some consider it offensive.