Danish man burns Quran, charged with blasphemy case

A Danish man who posed a video of himself setting fire to the Quran on Facebook has been charged with blasphemy, first such case in the country after almost half a century.

According to CNN, the 42 year-old man burned the Muslim holy book in his backyard in December 2015 and then posted a video of it to a Facebook group.

This is the fourth time that anyone has been charged with religious blasphemy in Danish history since the law was implemented.

Prosecutors say burning holy books like the Quran and the Bible is a violation of a penal code that deals with religious scorn and public mockery.

There have only been two convictions using this law - in 1938 and 1946. Another charge was brought to court in 1971, but the defendant was never convicted.

The maximum prison sentence for blasphemy in Denmark is four months, but Reckendorff says that if the man is convicted, he will only be fined.