Denmark is considering a ban on public Muslim calls to prayer, with government officials arguing that the practice is making the country feel like “a suburb of Islamabad.”
Interior Minister Morten Bødskov, a member of the ruling Social Democratic Party, said the government will examine whether such a ban could be implemented under Danish law.
“The call to prayer should not be heard over Danish rooftops,” he told news outlet Ritzau. “It has no place in Denmark, and you shouldn’t be in any doubt whether you’ve ended up in a suburb of Islamabad when you walk around Denmark.”
While Copenhagen already has local regulations that prevent mosques from broadcasting calls to prayer over loudspeakers due to noise restrictions, Bødskov’s comments highlighted that the issue extends beyond noise concerns. He argued that the creeping “Islamization” in the country was “taking up too much of the public space.”
The Social Democrats have previously tried to implement a legal framework for such a ban in 2020 and 2025. Under the current prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, Denmark has implemented tougher migration rules than most of Europe, including laws that permit authorities to force migrants to relocate from a neighborhood if too many foreign residents are already there.
While the Danish constitution permits the right to public worship, some exceptions are included, such as bans on anti-democratic preaching.
Denmark has roughly 270,000 Muslims and an estimated 100 mosques. The grand mosque of Copenhagen does not conduct the traditional five daily outdoor calls to prayer due to an argument with local authorities, according to The Telegraph.
