Aspate of Quran-burning protests in Sweden and Denmark has caused angry demonstrations in Muslim-majority countries, heightened security fears at home and left both Scandinavian nations questioning whether they need to review their liberal laws on freedom of speech.

Sweden sparked an international spat after allowing a protester to burn a copy of the Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm in June, which coincided with the Muslim holiday of Eid-al-Adha, one of the most significant events in the Islamic calendar – an incident that angered Turkey and jeopardized Sweden’s bid to join NATO.

Several Qurans have also been burned outside foreign embassies in the Danish capital Copenhagen over recent weeks.