‘Democracy takes precedence': Denmark moves to extend veil ban to schools, targets prayer rooms in universities

Time of India

2 days ago

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Thursday announced plans to broaden Denmark's ban on full-face Islamic veils, such as the burqa and niqab, to include schools and universities, saying democracy must come before religious expression in educational spaces.
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'You have the right to your faith and to practice your religion, but democracy takes precedence,' Frederiksen was quoted by Danish news agency Ritzau. She added, 'God has to step aside.'
Denmark first introduced a public ban on full-face coverings in 2018. However, the law has so far not applied to educational institutions. Frederiksen said this was a gap in legislation that needed to be closed. 'There are gaps in the legislation that allow Muslim social control and oppression of women at educational institutions in Denmark,' she told domestic media, according to Euronews.
The prime minister, who also leads the ruling Social Democrats, said her government intends to begin dialogue with universities and schools to extend the veil ban and to remove prayer rooms from campuses. While she did not call for a blanket legal prohibition on such rooms, Frederiksen made her stance clear, 'We are actively taking a position that we don't want them because they are used as a mechanism of oppression against girls and potentially boys as well,' she was quoted as saying by Ritzau.
Frederiksen also said that while she did not know how widespread the use of prayer rooms was, her concern was about the principle. 'I'm the prime minister of Denmark. I'm also a woman. And I can't tolerate the oppression of women,' she said.
The announcement comes in response to recommendations made by Denmark's Commission for the Forgotten Women's Struggle, which earlier this year urged action on what it called religious social control in public institutions.
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In 2022, the same body proposed banning hijabs in primary schools, but the measure was ultimately dropped after sparking backlash and protests.
The new proposal has drawn criticism from human rights organisations.
As per news AFP, groups such as Amnesty International have long opposed Denmark's public veil ban, calling it discriminatory and a violation of women's freedom of expression and religion. 'All women should be free to dress as they please and to wear clothing that expresses their identity or beliefs,' Amnesty International had said in 2018.
Frederiksen defended the new measures as necessary to preserve democratic values within education. 'You're welcome to have your religion,' she said, 'but when you're at school, you're there to be at school and take part in your education,' reported Euronews.