As the story goes, the Prophet Muhammad was meditating in a cave in the peaceful and picturesque Mount Hira in 610 CE, as he often did, when the angel Jibril appeared to him. Although Muhammad could not read or write, when the angel revealed a message to him, he was able to recite the words.

This message was the first revelation of the QuranThe holy book of Islam, whose words are believed by Muslims to have been passed directly from God to the Prophet Muhammad in a series of visions spanning 23 years. from AllahA term used for the only God in Islam. . And messages continued to be revealed to Muhammad for a further 23 years before he passed away. After his death, they were compiled into Islam's holy text.

Because of this, for Muslims, respecting the Quran is respecting the word of Allah. Many Muslims perform a ritual washing before handling its pages, and it should never touch the ground.

So it is not hard to see how desecrationsDamaging or showing a lack of respect to something holy. of the Quran in Denmark and Sweden have sparked huge diplomatic and religious conflicts in recent weeks.

On Monday, two far-right protesters in Copenhagen set fire to a Quran in front of the Iraqi embassy as police stood by. Members of the "Danish Patriots", the pair were condemned by the Danish authorities, who called them "provocative and shameful". Nonetheless, the burning was allowed to go ahead as Denmark has no laws prohibiting blasphemySpeaking with contempt or disrespect about a religious deity or sacred person. Blasphemy laws were abolished in the UK in 2008. .¹

It follows widespread fury last week after an Iraqi Christian refugee was granted permission on two separate occasions by the Swedish police to burn a Quran in Stockholm. Protests erupted across the Islamic world, with furious protesters setting fire to the Swedish embassy in Baghdad and expelling the Swedish ambassador.

Sweden has paid royally for the act. Iraq halted business with the NordicRelating to Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden and Denmark), Finland and Iceland. country and threatened to sever diplomatic relations in the event of another burning. Outrage in Turkey even put Sweden's accessionAttaining a new rank, status or power. to Nato at risk.

As the Quran is a sacred text which carries a lot of spiritual significance for Muslims, burning it is seen as a desecration of Islam itself. In Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Somalia intentionally desecrating the Quran can carry a death sentence. In several other countries it can lead to prison time.

So why did authorities allow the burnings to go ahead? It is not the first Quran-burning controversy either country has faced in the past few years. Such incidents have sparked protests consistently both at home and abroad.

Although the law in Sweden protects against incitement to ethnicRelating to a group of people who share a race, nationality or cultural group. or racial hatred, this does not include desecration of religious texts or criticism of certain faiths. Some believe that outlawing wrongful treatments of holy books would inhibitStop. freedom of expression and prevent valid critique of the role of religion in society.

Others point out that the freedom to express an opinion is not the same as the freedom to offend. The Quran is a holy text with a sacred meaning for a lot of people. Desecrating it does not make any intelligent point, but it does show intolerance of others' views.

The right to practise religion peacefully is ingrained in law. Some argue that burning a holy text should be interpreted first and foremost as a threat against people with that faith, and as such should be treated as a form of hate speech. Others bitterly disagree, saying that there should be few, if any, limits to freedom of expression.

Yes: Every view that you have is going to offend someone somewhere in the world. Nonetheless, we should feel free to express ourselves without worrying about causing offence. We are only responsible for our own actions, not others' reactions.

No: In most cases, offending people is the worst way to make a criticism or start a dialogue. We should not focus on a "right to offend", but instead on our duties to each other as humans to be respectful and tolerant.

Or... On a human level, we should all try not to offend each other and to show respect for each other's views, but offending people should never be prohibited by law. This would set an extremely dangerous precedent.

Quran - The holy book of Islam, whose words are believed by Muslims to have been passed directly from God to the Prophet Muhammad in a series of visions spanning 23 years.

Allah - A term used for the only God in Islam.

Desecrations - Damaging or showing a lack of respect to something holy.

Blasphemy - Speaking with contempt or disrespect about a religious deity or sacred person. Blasphemy laws were abolished in the UK in 2008. 

Nordic - Relating to Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden and Denmark), Finland and Iceland.

Accession - Attaining a new rank, status or power.

Ethnic - Relating to a group of people who share a race, nationality or cultural group.

Inhibit - Stop.