A view of lawmakers at Folketinget, during a debate over a parliamentary vote, in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Thursday. AP

The bill, which prohibits “inappropriate treatment of writings with significant religious importance for a recognised religious community,” was passed with 94 votes in favour and 77 opposed in the 179-seat Folketing.

Breaking the new law will be punishable by fines or up to two years in prison, the government has said.

“We must protect the security of Denmark and the Danes. Therefore, it is important that we now have better protection against the systematic insults we have seen for a long time,” Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard said in a statement.

According to Hummelgaard, more than 500 demonstrations that included burnings of the Holy Quran or flags were registered since July. “Such demonstrations can hurt Denmark’s relations to other nations, our interests and ultimately our safety,” Hummelgaard said.

In practical terms, it will be forbidden to burn, tear or otherwise defile holy texts publicly or in videos intended to be disseminated widely.

Over the summer, Denmark and neighbouring Sweden became the focus of anger across several Muslim countries after a slew of protests involving burnings and desecrations of the Holy Quran.

Nearly a thousand protesters attempted to march to the Danish embassy in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone in late July following a call by firebrand cleric Moqtada Sadr.

In response to the worsened security situation, the Scandinavian country temporarily tightened border controls, but returned to normal on Aug.22.

Between July 21 and Oct. 24 this year, 483 book burnings or flag burnings were recorded in Denmark, according to national police figures.

Sweden is also considering how to prevent burning of the Holy Quran but is looking at whether police should factor in national security when deciding on protest applications rather than a ban.

Agencies