{"id":178067,"date":"2025-06-16T08:28:17","date_gmt":"2025-06-16T06:28:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/prorektor-mette-frederiksen-rammer-skaevt-med-plan-om-bederumsforbud\/"},"modified":"2025-06-16T10:23:16","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T08:23:16","slug":"prayer-room-ban-prorector-says-danish-government-move-is-unnecessary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/prayer-room-ban-prorector-says-danish-government-move-is-unnecessary\/","title":{"rendered":"Prayer room ban: Prorector says Danish government move is unnecessary"},"content":{"rendered":"

There should be no prayer rooms at Danish educational institutions.<\/p>\n

This was the message from Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen in a Danish Constitution Day speech, where she announced that Minister for Higher Education and Science Christina Egelund will now enter into a dialogue with universities about having them removed.<\/p>\n

\u00bbWe are taking an active stance in saying that we do not want this, because it is being used as a mechanism of oppression against girls and potentially also boys,\u00ab the prime minister said to the Ritzau news agency.<\/p>\n

Her announcement is resisted by the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) however.\u00a0 The university’s management maintains that the so-called quiet rooms have a legitimate and important function for all students \u2014 and that steps have already been taken to ensure the rooms’ neutrality and openness.<\/p>\n

READ ALSO<\/strong>: Prayer rooms emptied at the University of Copenhagen \u2014 before and after<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\u00bbI don’t believe we have prayer rooms at the University of Copenhagen,\u00ab Prorector for Education Kristian Lauta says to the University Post.<\/p>\n

\u00bbWe call them quiet rooms, and they are spaces that all students who need peace and contemplation can use \u2014 whether it is to pray, meditate, or just take a breather.\u00ab<\/p>\n

Gender segregation in breach of the rules<\/h3>\n

According to Kristian Lauta, there are currently seven quiet rooms distributed across the university’s campuses, and all are subject to guidelines that include a prohibition on gender segregation and promotion of religion.<\/p>\n

It emerged last year that in several of the rooms \u2014 in violation of UCPH’s own rules \u2014 a practice of gender-segregated prayer had developed among Muslim students.<\/p>\n

READ ALSO<\/strong>: Rector intervenes on gender-segregated prayer room at the University of Copenhagen<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

At the University of Southern Denmark, management earlier this year chose to close its meditation room until 1 September, because it had been \u00bbdecorated with items that meant it no longer appeared neutral to all students and staff\u00ab.<\/p>\n

The furore over the rooms had the universities’ umbrella organisation Universities Denmark announcing in March 2025 that all quiet rooms and reflection rooms must henceforth be neutral. They should not be used for proselytising, decorated with religious symbols, or made to seem exclusionary.<\/p>\n

A decision that Kristian Lauta considers to be a sensible one.<\/p>\n

We call them quiet rooms, and they are spaces that all students who need peace and contemplation can use<\/p>\n

Kristian Lauta, Prorector for Education<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u00bbThe point of neutralising these rooms was precisely to ensure that they are accessible to everyone. And that is important to us. And it is also important to insist that being at a university also means accepting certain social norms for how we coexist at a university,\u00ab says the prorector.<\/p>\n

He therefore finds the prime minister\u2019s statement unnecessary.<\/p>\n

\u00bbI agree with what DTU\u2019s rector said<\/a> the other day \u2014 that the government is preaching to the choir on this. We have already taken a stance,\u00ab says Kristian Lauta.<\/p>\n

The University of Copenhagen has also set up a working group that is examining the use of the quiet rooms and the dilemmas they raise. According to Kristian Lauta, the group is expected to present a report after the summer holidays.<\/p>\n

\u00bbWe are trying to take a calm and considered approach. It is important for us to understand how the rooms are actually used and what fundamental questions they raise,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n

Concerned about singling out minorities<\/h3>\n

The prime minister\u2019s justification for removing prayer rooms is that they can be used for religious pressure, oppression of women, and coercive community pressures. Kristian Lauta does not dismiss this as a relevant concern, but cautions against targeting specific groups.<\/p>\n

\u00bbOf course we want to combat social coercion, but it must be done with respect for what the students themselves bring with them, and with consideration for freedom of religion,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n

He points out that the rooms are not only used by Muslims, but also by Christians, Buddhists, and students who simply need a quiet space.<\/p>\n

\u00bbWhat matters to us is that everyone feels at home \u2014 regardless of what they believe in or where they come from.\u00ab<\/p>\n

In addition to the prayer room issue, the prime minister has proposed extending face veil restrictions to also apply to educational institutions. This would mean a ban on wearing the niqab and burqa at universities.<\/p>\n

UCPH has not taken a position on this.<\/p>\n

\u00bbIt\u2019s not something we\u2019ve historically had problems with, so I don\u2019t have any opinion on it,\u00ab says Kristian Lauta. He emphasises that the university will, of course, comply with the law if a face veil ban is extended to include UCPH.
\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UCPH management insists that the prayer rooms are neutral and open to everyone \u2014 and sees no reason to close them<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":175710,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-178067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","expression-news_article"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nPrayer room ban: Prorector says Danish government move is unnecessary \u2014 University Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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down","text":"This is a story about what will follow","use_post_excerpt":true},{"acf_fc_layout":"Byline","is_author":false,"contributors":[{"use_registered_user":true,"user":{"ID":106,"user_firstname":"Martin Juhl","user_lastname":"","nickname":"Martin_Juhl","user_nicename":"martin_juhl_petersen","display_name":"Martin Juhl","user_email":"mjp@uniavisen.dk","user_url":"","user_registered":"2024-03-11 12:15:37","user_description":"","user_avatar":"<img alt='' src='https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1797e6a2f5504b0011d25ea810ff777cf9961880304ebea2975858e118970e05?s=96&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1797e6a2f5504b0011d25ea810ff777cf9961880304ebea2975858e118970e05?s=192&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-96 photo' height='96' width='96' loading='lazy' decoding='async'\/>"},"contributor_name":"","contributor_title":"","contributor_image":false}]},{"acf_fc_layout":"Content","content":"<p>There should be no prayer rooms at Danish educational institutions.<\/p>\n<p>This was the message from Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen in a Danish Constitution Day speech, where she announced that Minister for Higher Education and Science Christina Egelund will now enter into a dialogue with universities about having them removed.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbWe are taking an active stance in saying that we do not want this, because it is being used as a mechanism of oppression against girls and potentially also boys,\u00ab the prime minister said to the Ritzau news agency.<\/p>\n<p>Her announcement is resisted by the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) however.\u00a0 The university’s management maintains that the so-called quiet rooms have a legitimate and important function for all students \u2014 and that steps have already been taken to ensure the rooms’ neutrality and openness.<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ ALSO<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/prayer-rooms-emptied-at-the-university-of-copenhagen-before-and-after\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Prayer rooms emptied at the University of Copenhagen \u2014 before and after<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI don’t believe we have prayer rooms at the University of Copenhagen,\u00ab Prorector for Education Kristian Lauta says to the University Post.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbWe call them quiet rooms, and they are spaces that all students who need peace and contemplation can use \u2014 whether it is to pray, meditate, or just take a breather.\u00ab<\/p>\n<h3>Gender segregation in breach of the rules<\/h3>\n<p>According to Kristian Lauta, there are currently seven quiet rooms distributed across the university’s campuses, and all are subject to guidelines that include a prohibition on gender segregation and promotion of religion.<\/p>\n<p>It emerged last year that in several of the rooms \u2014 in violation of UCPH’s own rules \u2014 a practice of gender-segregated prayer had developed among Muslim students.<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ ALSO<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/rector-intervenes-on-gender-segregated-prayer-room-at-university-of-copenhagen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Rector intervenes on gender-segregated prayer room at the University of Copenhagen<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p>At the University of Southern Denmark, management earlier this year chose to close its meditation room until 1 September, because it had been \u00bbdecorated with items that meant it no longer appeared neutral to all students and staff\u00ab.<\/p>\n<p>The furore over the rooms had the universities’ umbrella organisation Universities Denmark announcing in March 2025 that all quiet rooms and reflection rooms must henceforth be neutral. They should not be used for proselytising, decorated with religious symbols, or made to seem exclusionary.<\/p>\n<p>A decision that Kristian Lauta considers to be a sensible one.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>We call them quiet rooms, and they are spaces that all students who need peace and contemplation can use<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">Kristian Lauta, Prorector for Education<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u00bbThe point of neutralising these rooms was precisely to ensure that they are accessible to everyone. And that is important to us. And it is also important to insist that being at a university also means accepting certain social norms for how we coexist at a university,\u00ab says the prorector.<\/p>\n<p>He therefore finds the prime minister\u2019s statement unnecessary.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI agree with what <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dr.dk\/nyheder\/indland\/regeringen-sparker-en-aaben-doer-ind-naar-de-skal-tale-med-universiteterne-om\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DTU\u2019s rector said<\/a> the other day \u2014 that the government is preaching to the choir on this. We have already taken a stance,\u00ab says Kristian Lauta.<\/p>\n<p>The University of Copenhagen has also set up a working group that is examining the use of the quiet rooms and the dilemmas they raise. According to Kristian Lauta, the group is expected to present a report after the summer holidays.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbWe are trying to take a calm and considered approach. It is important for us to understand how the rooms are actually used and what fundamental questions they raise,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n<h3>Concerned about singling out minorities<\/h3>\n<p>The prime minister\u2019s justification for removing prayer rooms is that they can be used for religious pressure, oppression of women, and coercive community pressures. Kristian Lauta does not dismiss this as a relevant concern, but cautions against targeting specific groups.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbOf course we want to combat social coercion, but it must be done with respect for what the students themselves bring with them, and with consideration for freedom of religion,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n<p>He points out that the rooms are not only used by Muslims, but also by Christians, Buddhists, and students who simply need a quiet space.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbWhat matters to us is that everyone feels at home \u2014 regardless of what they believe in or where they come from.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>In addition to the prayer room issue, the prime minister has proposed extending face veil restrictions to also apply to educational institutions. This would mean a ban on wearing the niqab and burqa at universities.<\/p>\n<p>UCPH has not taken a position on this.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIt\u2019s not something we\u2019ve historically had problems with, so I don\u2019t have any opinion on it,\u00ab says Kristian Lauta. He emphasises that the university will, of course, comply with the law if a face veil ban is extended to include UCPH.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"ArticleEnd"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Newsletter","lang_select":"en","identifier":"Newsletter","headline":"Get an email with upcoming events and top University of Copenhagen stories","button_text":"Sign up here","class":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"OtherStories","headline":"","hand_picked_posts":false,"references":false,"category":false,"theme":false,"number_of_posts":"4","style":"default"}],"expression":{"term_id":15,"name":"News Article","slug":"news_article","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":15,"taxonomy":"expression","description":"","parent":0,"count":11489,"filter":"raw"},"enable_comments":true,"align_content":"alignleft","feature_color":"","article_updated":""},"taxonomyData":{"category":[{"term_id":48,"name":"Politics","slug":"politics","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":48,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":1035,"filter":"raw"}],"post_tag":[],"post_format":[],"expression":[{"term_id":15,"name":"News Article","slug":"news_article","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":15,"taxonomy":"expression","description":"","parent":0,"count":11489,"filter":"raw"}],"translation_priority":[{"term_id":5468,"name":"Optional","slug":"optional-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":5468,"taxonomy":"translation_priority","description":"","parent":0,"count":672,"filter":"raw"}]},"featured_media_url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/bederum2-1280x853.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=178067"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178067\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":178153,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178067\/revisions\/178153"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/175710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=178067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=178067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=178067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}