The University of Copenhagen quiet rooms will be permanently closed on 1 December, after months of controversy over their use as Muslim prayer rooms, allegations of gender segregation and a heated student election campaign that has turned the facilities into a symbol of wider debates on religion, social control and inclusion on Danish campuses.
From quiet rooms to contested Muslim prayer spaces
The quiet rooms (stillerum) at the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) were originally created as multi-faith or secular spaces where students could withdraw for silence, reflection or a short personal prayer. Over time, however, several rooms developed a clear religious profile. Mats, headscarves and religious books – many of them linked to Islam – were left in the rooms, and movable partitions were used in some locations to separate men and women.
Conservative student groups and parts of the Danish press described the spaces as de facto Muslim prayer rooms that enabled informal rules on modesty and gender separation. According to critics, this amounted to a form of social control over women students and clashed with the universities’ obligation to offer equal access and non-discrimination.
These concerns fed into a broader political debate in Denmark on prayer rooms at universities, which has been ongoing since at least 2017 and intensified after a government-appointed Commission for the Forgotten Women’s Struggle warned that some religious spaces could reinforce patriarchal norms and limit women’s autonomy.
University cites neutrality and equal access for all students
In the spring of 2025, UCPH launched an internal review of how the quiet rooms were used and whether they still fulfilled their original purpose. In April, personal belongings, carpets and dividers were removed, and the rooms were stripped back to neutral spaces with only standard university furniture.
Following the review, the university management concluded that it had not succeeded in creating rooms that were truly open to all students. In practice, a relatively small group of students – often Muslim students who had informed one another about the spaces – used the rooms far more than others, while many students were unaware that the rooms even existed.
Prorector for Education Kristian Lauta has said that the decision to close the rooms is intended as a step towards a more inclusive study environment. According to the university, the space freed up will be incorporated into improved facilities for students with disabilities and others who need calm, sensory-friendly environments during the day.
Management has also pointed to a joint statement from Universities Denmark, which requires quiet rooms to be religiously neutral, free of personal or religious items and not used for preaching. If these conditions cannot be guaranteed, universities are encouraged to close the rooms entirely.
Student organisations mobilise to defend the retreat rooms
The decision to close the quiet rooms has provoked opposition from several student groups. During this week’s university elections, the newly formed list Free Retreat Rooms (Frie Stillerum) is running on a platform that explicitly calls for keeping the rooms open as a well-being measure for all students.
The Student Council (Studenterrådet) has organised a demonstration against the closure, arguing that the quiet rooms contribute to student mental health and provide a necessary pause in an increasingly pressured study environment. Student representative Jesper Gür, who sits on the UCPH board, has criticised the decision as a “step backwards” for the university’s welfare agenda.
According to Gür, the problem has not been the existence of quiet rooms themselves but the lack of clear information and guidance on how they should be used. In his view, a more neutral design and better communication could have ensured that the rooms became a shared resource, instead of being perceived as reserved for a specific religious group.
Political pressure and the wider Danish debate on prayer rooms
The closure also reflects national political dynamics. In June, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen used her Constitution Day speech to state that there should be no prayer rooms at Danish universities. Although the government has not introduced a legal ban, it has signalled that universities are expected to prevent religious preaching and social control on campus.
Earlier in 2025, Universities Denmark adopted common guidelines stating that quiet rooms must be kept neutral and that personal or religious items cannot be left there. At the time, UCPH management argued that its quiet rooms were already open to everyone and that there was no need to close them. Over the course of the year, however, media coverage, political statements and internal discussions have increased the pressure on the university.
The Danish debate fits into a broader European conversation about secularism, religious symbols and minority rights in public institutions. Researchers have pointed out that, in Denmark, many prayer and quiet rooms at educational institutions are actually established and used by Christian organisations, even though public controversy often focuses on Muslim practices. The UCPH case is therefore also about perceptions of Islam and about how universities navigate religious diversity in a formally secular context.
What comes after the University of Copenhagen quiet rooms
For now, UCPH expects the quiet rooms to remain closed and does not foresee reopening them in their previous form. Management has said it wants to talk to students about how to design new, more inclusive spaces that respond in particular to the needs of students with disabilities and those experiencing stress or mental health challenges.
Student organisations, on the other hand, are likely to keep the issue alive. The closure of the quiet rooms has become a focal point in the university elections, and it may influence how future student representatives approach questions of religious neutrality, inclusion and campus democracy.
Beyond Copenhagen, other Danish universities are watching the case closely. Some, such as Aarhus University, have chosen to keep their quiet rooms open while emphasising neutral design and clear rules against social control. The UCPH decision could therefore set a precedent – either by encouraging more closures, or by sparking renewed efforts to reconcile multi-faith prayer rooms, quiet reflection spaces and secular principles on campus.
For Nordic and European observers, the debate at the University of Copenhagen offers a case study in how public universities manage freedom of religion, gender equality and student welfare at a time of growing diversity and political polarisation.
