Denmark may legally ban ‘azaan’ (the Islamic call to prayer), a proposal which came with the fear of ‘Islamisation’ in the nation. There is no official announcement or implementation yet, as the policy is still under review, with the legal experts still examining if such a ‘ban’ is possible.
Speaking on the matter, Denmark’s Immigration Minister Morten Bodskov said, “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.”
He stated that creeping "Islamisation" was consuming too much public space and declared that the call to prayer "should not be heard over Danish rooftops."
The proposal marks the third attempt by the ruling Social Democrats to establish a legal framework to restrict loudspeaker broadcasts from mosques, following previous unsuccessful bids in 2020 and 2025.
The primary focus of the newly revived government inquiry will be whether a blanket national prohibition can be introduced without breaching Denmark’s constitutional guarantees regarding the freedom of religion and public worship.
Legal experts and human rights critics have already warned that an outright ban would target a single faith disproportionately, potentially infringing upon fundamental civil liberties and exposing the state to rigorous legal challenges from Islamic organisations. Conversely, supporters argue that loudspeaker broadcasts are an outdated practice in the smartphone era and that uniform national legislation is required to manage shared public spaces.
The strict municipal noise regulations and local bylaws of Denmark already block outdoor loudspeaker broadcasts in major urban areas. For instance, the Grand Mosque of Copenhagen operates under a long-standing voluntary agreement with local authorities to refrain from broadcasting the call to prayer outdoors.
The Muslim population in Denmark is estimated to be around 270,000, comprising roughly five per cent of the country's six million residents.
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