Denmark is preparing to extend its ban on full-face coverings to schools and universities as part of a renewed campaign against what the government calls “parallel societies”.
Burqas and niqabs have been prohibited in Danish public spaces since 2018, with repeat offenders liable for fines of up to 10,000 kroner, or about £1,300. Educational institutions have largely fallen outside the existing rules, but the government now intends to bring classrooms and campuses within their scope.
The proposal forms part of a wider package aimed at tackling poor integration and “negative social control” within some immigrant communities. In Denmark, the term “parallel societies” is commonly applied to residential areas where more than half the population has a non-Western immigrant background.
The plan was reported by the Danish newspaper Berlingske after the immigration ministry confirmed that the government intended to revive several measures that had failed to pass before the election, including the proposed extension of the face-covering ban.
Critics argue that the change is largely symbolic, noting that very few pupils or university students are believed to wear burqas or niqabs. Supporters, however, view it as a statement about the expectations governing participation in Danish educational and public life.
Deliberately concealing the human face is not compatible with the ordinary expectations of life in a modern, open society.
Faces are not merely objects of attraction or identification. They are how people read emotion, establish trust and conduct ordinary conversation. Modern life has only reinforced this: even when meetings take place remotely, people increasingly choose video because seeing the other person remains central to meaningful interaction. Deliberately removing the face from an encounter therefore creates a barrier between the wearer and everyone around her.
There is also the question of sex. A practice imposed specifically upon women, requiring them to disappear facially from public life, should not be insulated from criticism simply because its defenders describe it as religious. Even where a woman might say she has chosen it, society is entitled to decide what forms of conduct are compatible with participation in shared public institutions.
A school or university is not a private home or place of worship. It exists for education, exchange and engagement. Denmark is right to insist that those activities should take place face to face.
