The Danish government is proposing to introduce ‘screening’ of those applying for Danish citizenship. It will not just be a matter of length of residence, language skills and a clean criminal record. Applicants will also be checked to see whether they promote anti-democratic ideas.
Morten Bødskov, Minister for Immigration and Integration, puts it plainly:
– Danish citizenship should only be granted to those who are loyal to Denmark and have embraced Danish values. It must not be granted to people who glorify terrorism, support Sharia law or oppose gay rights.
Support for the Islamic legal system, Sharia, is highlighted
The granting of citizenship has been suspended until further notice, pending an expert group’s assessment of whether and how such screening can be carried out legally, technically and practically.
Support for the Islamic legal system, Sharia, is highlighted as a specific example of disqualifying attitudes. Sharia contains rules that are in direct conflict with modern democratic principles: Gender inequality, the death penalty for apostasy from Islam, severely restricted freedom of expression, discrimination, sexual slavery, general enslavement and the killing of non-Muslims, the death penalty for homosexuality, etc., etc.
When an applicant actively advocates that Sharia law should take precedence over Danish law and democratic rights, the government considers that the person in question does not share the values on which citizenship is based. The same applies to support for terrorism.
The screening is not limited to Islam. In principle, it is intended to target all anti-democratic attitudes, but in reality in Denmark, it is issues relating to Islamic attitudes that have dominated the debate in recent years.
Defends politician who distinguishes between Danish ethnicity and Danish citizenship
An opinion poll shows that 74 per cent of Danes support the idea of assessing applicants’ attitudes towards democratic values.
The expert group is due to submit its report around the turn of the year.
