Denmark will punish preachers who encourage criminal acts and blacklist “hate preachers”in the country, the government said Tuesday, after a documentary about imams advocating illegal acts sparked nationwide controversy in February.
The documentary showed hidden camera footage of imams in Danish mosques advocating the corporal punishment of children, stoning and whipping unfaithful spouses and requiring women to have sex with violent spouses.
“We will criminalize the sanctioning of punishable acts in religious education,” said the church and culture minister, Bertel Haarder. Doing so would not compromise the Danish constitution or international conventions, he said.
“We have parallel societies in Denmark that unfortunately do great damage, especially to young people,” he said, noting that Islamic State get more fighters from Denmark than any country apart from Belgium.
A list of persons known for preaching hate speech will also be made public, and the will be banned from entering Denmark. EU citizens will be put on a separate watch list.
(Feature image source: Reuters)