Denmark’s scout funding rules are under review after criticism of gender-separated activities organised by the Muslim association Semerkand Spejderne. Minister for Culture (Kulturministeren) Zenia Stampe said she would examine whether the conditions attached to public support should be updated.
The debate followed Spejdernes Lejr 2026, Denmark’s national scout camp, held in Hedeland Nature Park from 18 to 26 July. The event brought together around 30,000 children and young people and was organised by the umbrella association Spejderne and its five member organisations, including the Danish YMCA Scouts (KFUM-Spejderne i Danmark).
Gender-separated scouting prompted the review
Semerkand Spejderne organises activities separately for boys and girls. The practice has prompted criticism over whether an organisation following this model should continue to qualify for public support.
According to DR, citing the Danish news agency Ritzau, Stampe will examine the rules together with the Danish Youth Council (Dansk Ungdoms Fællesråd, DUF) and KFUM-Spejderne.
The minister told Kristeligt Dagblad that progress towards gender equality should also take place within Muslim organisations.
No funding has been withdrawn and no specific amendment has been announced. The review will first consider whether the existing rules adequately address gender-separated activities within publicly supported youth organisations.
Semerkand has been linked to KFUM-Spejderne since 2018
Semerkand Ungdom is a Muslim youth organisation that runs scouting alongside educational, social and religious activities. On its website, the organisation says scouting corresponds closely with the methods it associates with Sufism.
Its relationship with KFUM-Spejderne began after Semerkand contacted the organisation in late 2017. The statutes of KFUM-Spejderne confirm that its national assembly approved Semerkand Ungdom as an associated organisation in 2018.
Semerkand Ungdom is also one of the 78 member organisations of DUF, whose membership includes scout groups, political youth organisations, religious associations and other civil-society groups.
The available sources do not include a direct response from Semerkand to Stampe’s announcement or a detailed explanation of how its gender separation is applied across individual activities. This limits the extent to which the organisation’s position can be assessed.
Why the public funding rules matter
DUF administers part of the proceeds from Denmark’s national lotteries and distributes approximately DKK 140 million (€18.8 million) each year to children’s and youth organisations. Around 70 organisations receive annual operating grants that can cover national administration and running costs.
The current grant system therefore supports a broad section of Danish voluntary life. This makes the question raised by the Semerkand case wider than a dispute involving one Muslim organisation.
Any change would need to establish criteria that can be applied consistently across organisations with different religious, political and cultural identities. The central issue is not whether such organisations may exist, but which requirements they must meet when receiving public money.
The controversy has reached Parliament
The case has also been raised in the Danish Parliament (Folketinget). On 22 July, Denmark Democrats MP Susie Jessen asked Stampe whether Semerkand’s gender-separated scouting could contribute to negative social control.
The parliamentary question was still listed as unanswered when the funding review was announced. Its wording reflects the MP’s political position and does not establish that Semerkand’s activities constitute negative social control.
The review will now have to determine whether the current framework is sufficient or whether gender equality should be addressed more explicitly in scout funding rules. Its conclusions could influence how Denmark balances the autonomy of voluntary associations with the conditions attached to public support.
