Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced on Thursday her intention to ban the wearing of niqabs or full-face veils excluding the eyes, and to discourage the establishment of prayer rooms in Danish schools and universities.
“God has to give way,” Frederiksen told Danish news agency Ritzau. “People have the right to believe and practise their religion, but democracy takes priority.”
She believes there is “Muslim social control” leading to the “oppression of women” within educational institutions in Denmark, a situation exacerbated by legislative gaps.
A law prohibiting face coverings in public spaces came into effect in Denmark in August 2018. Anyone wearing clothing that conceals their face, such as a full-face veil, can be fined. Critics of the law argue it is discriminatory against a religious group and infringes on religious freedom and women’s free choice.
The Prime Minister aims to extend this ban to educational establishments.
Frederiksen also plans to eliminate prayer rooms in these institutions, but without officially banning them.
She wants Education Ministers Mattias Tesfaye and Christina Egelund to clearly inform universities that prayer rooms should not exist in educational settings and to find a collective solution.
“We do not want them as they are used as mechanisms of oppression towards girls and, potentially, also towards boys,” Frederiksen emphasised.
