Denmark is reviewing, for the third time, whether to ban the Muslim call to prayer nationwide. Immigration Minister Morten Bødskov said the government will open an examination of the issue and argued that the call to prayer has “no place in Denmark.” He also said some parts of the country look “like a suburb of Islamabad.”
The proposal would require the government to weigh constitutional protections for religious freedom against residents’ rights to quiet and to use public space. Denmark’s constitution does allow some exceptions to religious freedom, including bans on anti-democratic preaching and on receiving funding from prohibited groups.
The move follows earlier failed attempts in 2020 and 2025 by ministers from the Social Democratic Party. The call to prayer, which is heard five times a day, is already restricted in some Danish cities, including Copenhagen, under noise regulations. Despite the renewed push, local authorities reportedly receive very few complaints about it.
The review comes as Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s government continues a tough immigration policy in its third term. Recent measures have included the so-called ghetto laws enabling forced relocation of migrants, confiscation of valuables from asylum seekers, and cutting support for rejected applicants. Denmark has also historically accepted fewer asylum seekers than neighboring countries, including during the 2015 refugee crisis.
