Why Denmark wants to ban burqa, niqab in schools, universities

Denmark’s Minister for Immigration and Integration, Rasmus Stoklund, in a statement said, “Burqas, niqabs, or other clothing that hides people’s faces have no place in a Danish classroom.”

“There is already a ban on face coverings in public spaces, and this should of course also apply in educational institutions,” Stoklund added, reported news agency AFP.

The bill to extend the ban on full-face veils is scheduled to be presented in the Danish parliament in February 2026. Another European country, Austria, adopted a law banning headscarves in schools for girls under the age of 14 as the country’s parliament passed it on December 11.

Denmark PM on face coverings ban

Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had said in June that she sought to extend the ban on face coverings to educational institutions and even remove prayer rooms from the educational space, citing concerns about social control and oppression.

Frederiksen, who is also the leader of the country’s Social Democrats party, said that implementing a limited ban on full-face veils in the country had been a mistake by her government.

“There are gaps in the legislation that allow Muslim social control and oppression of women at educational institutions in Denmark. You have the right to be a person of faith and practice your religion, but democracy takes precedence,” Frederiksen had said earlier, Euro News reported.

Supporters of the face covering ban have argued that the rule enables the Muslims of immigrant backgrounds to integrate in a better manner into Danish society.