Denmark: 55% of Muslims think criticizing religion should be forbidden, 64% support curtailing freedom of speech

Denmark: 55% of Muslims think criticizing religion should be forbidden, 64% support curtailing freedom of speech


More from the big DR survey of Muslims in Denmark, titled "Your Muslim neighbor" (DA).  h/t Peter.  The data published in different papers is different by one or two percentage points, but the overall direction is clear.

See also Denmark: Close to 90% of Muslims would vote for the Left  for more on the survey.

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A clear majority of Muslims in Denmark doesn't want religion to be criticized, according to a survey Capacent prepared for DR.

In the study "Your Muslim Neighbor" (Din muslimske nabo) conducted among Muslims in Denmark, They were asked whether it should be forbidden to criticize religion.

55% thought it should, while 34% didn't agree.

Capacent also asked the rest of the Danish population the same and here 10% thought that it should be forbidden to criticize religion.

Asked directly if freedom of speech should be restricted in such cases, 66% of Muslims in Denmark answered yes, while 10% of the rest of the population thought the same. 

The study was conducted among 523 Muslims living in Denmark.

It should be forbidden to criticize religion:

Completely agree: 27% Muslims, 2% Danes
Agree: 28% Muslims, 8% Danes
Neither agree nor disagree: 8% Muslims, 11% Danes
Disagree: 23% Muslims, 32% Danes
Completely disagree: 11% Muslims, 46% Danes
Don't know: 2% Muslims, 1% Danes
won't say: 1% Muslims, 0% Danes


Freedom of speech should be curtailed in such cases:

Completely agree: 25% Muslims, 1% Danes
Agree: 39% Muslims, 9% Danes
Neither agree nor disagree: 10% Muslims, 10% Danes
Disagree: 11% Muslims, 29% Danes
Completely disagree: 3% Muslims, 50% Danes
Don't know: 11% Muslims, 0% Danes
won't say: 2% Muslims, 0% Danes


Ezma Ozkan is a Muslim and thinks that it should be forbidden to criticize Muhammad, Jesus and religions altogether.

"I think it should be forbidden to criticize religion, because we should respect each other.  And if it's insulting, then I think it should be stopped," says Ezma Ozkan to Radioavisen

The 32 year old businesswoman from Sjælland participated in the DR survey. 

She thinks that the Muhammad cartoons are the best example for a lack of respect crossing the lines.

"You know it's pure provocation for the Muslim people, so it should stop there," she told Radioavisen.

According to the study, 64% of Muslims in Denmark think freedom of religion should be curtailed in such cases.  But at the same time 75% think that democracy is the best type of government.

Ezma Ozkan sees no contradiction:


"Clearly there's freedom of speech in Denmark, but religion is something we have inside, so one should think again before one comes with insulting statements," she told Radioavisen.

Sources: DR 1, 2, JP (Danish)

See also:
* Denmark: 50% of immigrants want to criminalize criticism of religion
* Denmark: Criticism of religion is OK
* Denmark: Close to 90% of Muslims would vote for the Left

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