Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has announced a proposal to extend the country’s 2018 face-covering ban to schools and universities, prohibiting the niqab in classrooms.
Simultaneously, her Government intends to eliminate prayer rooms from educational institutions, citing concerns over religious pressure and gender-based oppression.
Democracy takes precedence over religious expression
Speaking on Denmark’s Constitution Day (Grundlovsdag), Frederiksen argued that there are “loopholes in the legislation” allowing forms of social control and suppression of women to persist in schools.
“God must give way. People have the right to believe and practise their religion, but democracy comes first,” she told.
Frederiksen said it was a mistake that the original 2018 face-covering law, which prohibits full-face coverings such as the niqab and burqa in public spaces, did not include educational settings. She now wants the ban extended to all learning environments, calling it incompatible with democratic values to “oppress girls and women by forcing them to be fully covered.”
No legal ban on prayer rooms, but political pressure
Although Frederiksen stopped short of proposing a formal legal ban on prayer rooms, she stated that her government would work through dialogue with school and university leaders to phase them out. The aim, she said, is to ensure that students are free from religious coercion during their education.
“We take a clear stance: we do not want prayer rooms at schools,” she said, adding that some prayer spaces may be used as platforms for “social control and suppression,” particularly of female students.
The initiative reflects the recommendations of the Commission for the Forgotten Women’s Struggle (Kommissionen for den glemte kvindekamp), which earlier this year suggested similar measures to protect women and girls from religiously motivated restrictions.
Controversial move amid broader European debate
Frederiksen admitted she does not know how widespread the use of niqab is in Danish schools, but insisted that even limited cases are cause for concern. “I am Denmark’s prime minister. I am also a woman. And I cannot stand the oppression of women,” she said.
Her statements align with broader European trends, where several countries have introduced or debated restrictions on religious dress in public institutions. Critics argue such measures infringe on individual freedoms and target Muslim communities, while proponents claim they are necessary to uphold secular and democratic principles.
The debate over prayer rooms in schools has been ongoing in Denmark, with some voices defending them as spaces for religious freedom and social inclusion, especially for students from conservative backgrounds. Frederiksen dismissed these arguments, stating:
“We cannot organise society around fanaticism. Democracy must define public life.”
The Government’s next steps will involve consultations with the Ministry of Education and university leadership to implement the new rules through administrative and institutional cooperation rather than legislation.
