Report from Firoozeh Bazrafkan’s performance, August 5, 2025
See the artist’s own words and recording.
Using nothing but an empty table outside Iran’s embassy in Copenhagen, the Persian-Danish artist Firoozeh Bazrafkan did a powerful protest on August 5. She desecrated the Quran, but because it is illegal in Denmark, the act was a silent pantomime.
In one sweep, the performance exposed the absurdity of blasphemy laws, the illegitimacy of religious leaders, and the cowardice of many western politicians.
The backstory
Exactly two years ago, in August 2023, Bazrafkan did her original performance where she used a grater to shred a Quran to pieces (blog, video) outside the Iranian embassy in Copenhagen. The artist said the performance was a commentary on the Iranian regime’s hypocritical demand for respect for the holy book while it fails to show any respect for women’s rights.
Shockingly, later the same year, Denmark introduced a law banning “inappropriate treatment of religious texts”, punishable with up to two years in jail, widely known as the “Quran law”. The law was the government’s response to violent threats from islamists, and it passed with a small majority in the parliament.
Now, Bazrafkan decided to reinterpret her performance from two years ago, again outside Iran’s embassy. Dressed in a “Woman Life Freedom” t-shirt, the artist repeated her previous act with fierce energy, but as a pantomime around an empty table. Afterwards, she briefly commented that in her mind, the book was there and she destroyed it as an act of resistance against the Iranian regime’s systematic violence against women. Danish police was present, ensuring that the act could be performed safely.
Obvious to everyone, the absent holy book was the centerpiece of the performance, and the blasphemous act was unmistakable. By removing the central taboo object while keeping all context around it, the artist created a negative space, effectively putting the spotlight on the ridiculousness of blasphemy laws. As onlookers we could all see the invisible book getting thoroughly shredded and desecrated, all while the performance enjoyed police protection and was fully compliant with the law.
Why blasphemy laws are a very bad idea
The core problem with laws against blasphemy is that they ban free expression and open debate. This is of course the whole purpose. While the Danish law is limited to banning material acts, religious fanatics will threaten anyone who expresses a mere critical thought. The new Danish blasphemy law may seem like a small limitation but it has exactly the same goal: to force everyone to obey religious rule, and to stop us from expressing our opinions, all under the threat of punishment.
Throughout history, satire and laughing in the face of authority is one of the most powerful and effective responses to religion and tradition. The weakness lies bare: what kind of almighty God needs protection from a few freethinkers? No chill.
The problem with the Danish anti-blasphemy law is that it not only stops hateful book burnings by racists, but also bans art and legitimate criticism of religion, as in Bazrafkan’s case. The whole point with free speech is to allow uncomfortable opinion; free speech can not and must not discriminate between good and bad ideas. Fanatics who demand laws against blasphemy don’t care if a contrary opinion is legitimate or dumb; to them, all opposition is intolerable “islamophobia”. If they don’t get their way, they threaten everyone with limitless terror.
Sadly and ironically, Denmark just recently got rid of its previous age-old blasphemy law. The new law is clearly a submission to threats of violence from islamists. It’s a disgrace for a country calling itself a democracy.
Bazrafkan’s work helps us see this. She effectively undresses ridiculous religious leaders and their demands for submission, as well as weak western politicians sacrificing democracy to threats from violent thugs.
What is really the crime here? Blasphemy is not a crime. Blasphemy laws is the crime! Such laws have no place in an open society, or in any society.
Magnus Timmerby, Humanists Sweden
Resources from Humanists International:
Campaign: End blasphemy laws
Report: Freedom of Thought Report
