Concerns Arise Over Cultural Control in Danish Schools

International pan-Islamist group Hizb ut Tahrir has expressed approval of reports highlighting the enforcement of Quranic principles among Danish high school students.

While Denmark maintains stricter immigration policies than many European nations, the rapid cultural changes due to rising Muslim immigrant populations over recent decades seem unavoidable.

A recent report from Berlingske revealed that three high schools in Copenhagen function within a “parallel society,” where a group of mostly Muslim students upholds a code of conduct rooted in Islamic traditions. This social enforcement involves assessing classmates to determine who qualifies as a “good Muslim.”

At VUC Lyngby, some students were even found monitoring others’ behaviors, creating an atmosphere where individuals outside the school would come to oversee Muslim students. This is quite alarming.

At Orestad High School, students faced harassment for drinking alcohol, smoking, or wearing clothing viewed as inappropriate. There were also reports of divisions based on ethnicity and bullying linked to sexual orientation.

Copenhagen Open High School reported that some students felt anxious about being photographed, with one individual requesting the removal of their image from the school’s website after changing their appearance.

Jesper Skibsted Als, the rector of VUC Lyngby, mentioned that most social oversight appears to be led by students with a Muslim background. He remarked that such phenomena are likely widespread across many schools in Denmark.

Kefa Abu Ras, representing Denmark’s Sisters Against Violence and Control organization, identified this as a national issue, particularly in schools with large populations of students from MENAPT countries (Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan, and Turkey).

The report about the education system has sparked significant concern, yet was welcomed by Hizb Tahrir, which advocates for establishing a global Islamic caliphate guided by strict Islamic law.

Elias Ramlovet, the group’s spokesperson in Denmark, criticized attempts to undermine Muslim identity among youth, asserting that the involvement of young Muslims in leading this cultural adherence would disturb those who oppose Islam.

He encouraged young Muslims to stay strong in their Islamic identity, seeing them as exemplary figures for their peers.

Niels Valdemar Binding, a researcher at the University of Copenhagen, suggested that banned groups like Hizb Tahrir are leveraging the discourse on social control to portray Muslims as being unfairly persecuted for practicing their faith.

He noted that convincing just a portion of radical Muslims could yield significant advantages in public perception.

Notably, similar mechanisms of social control have emerged in other parts of Europe. A major French government report from the previous year found that the Muslim Brotherhood has infiltrated various societal levels in immigrant communities to maintain traditional customs in a long-term campaign aimed at advancing Sharia principles. This appears to be having an effect, as a recent survey suggested that younger Muslims in France have become more radicalized than earlier generations.