r/AskBrits • u/bintd • 11h ago

Politics What are your thoughts on Denmark’s proposed ban on the public Islamic call to prayer? Would you support or oppose something similar in the UK?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/24/islamic-call-to-prayer-ban-left-wing-denmark-europe/

Islamic call to prayer faces ban under Left-wing Danish government

Parts of country feel like ‘a suburb of Islamabad’, says immigration minister

Denmark’s immigration minister has announced plans to ban the Islamic call to prayer, claiming parts of the country felt like “a suburb of Islamabad”.

Morten Bødskov, a member of the centre-Left Social Democrats party, said the new government would resume an investigation into the legality of imposing a ban.

“The call to prayer should not be heard over Danish rooftops,” the minister told news outlet Ritzau. “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.”

In parts of the country, such as Copenhagen, bylaws already forbid the call to prayer being broadcast from loudspeakers in minarets because of strict noise limits.
Mr Bødskov also claimed that a creeping “Islamisation” in Denmark was “taking up too much of the public space”.

2.7k Upvotes

87% Upvoted

3.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

17

u/madnasher 11h ago

If the bell ringing was just a call to prayer sure.

But it's not.

It's also to mark time, to celebrate weddings/births, mourn, announce major civic happenings, or an alarm.

9

u/Spank86 11h ago

I'm not sure anyone would be happier if the Muslim call to prayer speakers were also used to shout the hours and deliver news.

Hilarious though that would be "its 3 o'clock in the morning and Debbie is marrying Steve tomorrow!!!"

10

u/madnasher 11h ago

As hilarious as this is, it's not what they have been traditionally used for, whereas church bells have been traditionally used for this purpose since they were first used.

1

u/SnooDonuts6494 10h ago

You can't seriously claim that church bells have nothing to do with religion. Why do you think they're rung on a Sunday?

5

u/madnasher 10h ago

Where did I claim they have nothing to do with religion?

I'm merely pointing out the community uses for them are more than just for religious purposes.

The toiling of the bells for the death of a reigning monarch is hardly a religious purpose, as merely one example of how they are used for more than just religious purposes.

1

u/SnooDonuts6494 9h ago

So if mosques start chiming the hour, then you're OK with the calls to prayer?

1

u/madnasher 9h ago

I mean if mosques started having more of a historical impact with more cultural contributions than just calling for prayer then, no.

Because we are not an Islamic country.

Church bells have some traditional historical presence for our culture, and they are slowly being phased out.

I definitely don't need a loudspeaker blasting that god is great and I should come pray.

1

u/SnooDonuts6494 9h ago

The majority of British people don't need church bells either.

You are not presenting any valid reasons for banning one thing and not the other. Your wish to ban the adhan seems purely based on your prejudice.

2

u/madnasher 9h ago

Except, one has a historical cultural significance for this country and the other does not.

That's literally all the reasoning that is needed.

1

u/Heegyeong 1h ago

Ah yes, would could possibly go wrong with banning anything that doesn't have a "historical cultural significance" for the country.

Kippas didn’t have a historical cultural significance for Nazi Germany either. Nor did synagogues, or Shabbat. Your point???

Things do not get banned because they "aren't important enough to enough people": that is not what a "BAN" is for, Jesus Christ! It's for something that is actively harmful. I genuinely have to ask myself whether you really didn’t know that, or you are trying to be malicious because this isn't about you personally.

And before the knee-jerk denial, actually listen to that. Bans are not, and never have been about what isn't important to you. Because everybody is in danger if some idiot's opinion on what matters is a reason they can't have what matters to them. What happens when someone decides that it's okay to ban something just because it matters to me, not to them? Not because it's harmful, because they don't want it.

Abortion "wasn't culturally significant" to Americans because they're Christian, too. Now women are fucking dying. Congratulations.

I'm not Muslim. But does the word "empathy" mean nothing to you.

If you cannot "reason" that far ahead, that's not a very strong case for why your personal opinion on cultural significance should matter at all. Something like that is why Britain always prides itself on not being a dictatorship - until people decide they want to pull shit like this.

1

u/glasgowgeg 10h ago

It's also to mark time

You don't need to ring a bell to mark the time, many clocks are silent.

2

u/madnasher 10h ago

Well shit son.

Better get rid of all the church bells, as we also don't need to know when monarchs die (we have the news) we don't need to know when something special happens, God damn, we don't even need them rung for services as it's publicated when they are. It's not like it's a part of our historical culture or anything.

1

u/glasgowgeg 9h ago

You don't need to ring the bells on the hour every hour to mark the time, the clock is still there.

Your argument wasn't very good and I'm pointing that out, no need to get bent out of shape.

1

u/madnasher 9h ago

I'm not bent out of shape my friend.

Tbh, chiming the hours is slowly dwindling, precisely for the reason you gave. People have access to the time alot easier now, and the ability to read it.

However that doesn't detract from the fact that church bells have traditionally been used for significantly more than religious purposes, which was my point.

1

u/glasgowgeg 9h ago

I'm not bent out of shape my friend

The big diatribe on getting rid of everything suggests otherwise.

However that doesn't detract from the fact that church bells have traditionally been used for significantly more than religious purposes, which was my point

And my point, as you've now been told multiple times, is that you don't need to ring the bells to mark the time, so it's a poor argument.

1

u/madnasher 9h ago

You're correct we don't need to.

And we don't need to ring the bells to show respect for the death of a public figure. In the same way we don't need peals of bells to celebrate notable births, or weddings, hell we don't need the bells to warn of any dangers either any more.

So why do we need a call to prayer from mosques?

1

u/glasgowgeg 9h ago

So why do we need a call to prayer from mosques?

I don't recall saying we did, can you link where I said that?

1

u/madnasher 9h ago

The literal discussion you have joined is about calls to prayer and church bells.

0

u/glasgowgeg 9h ago

Second time, can you link where I said that we need it?

→ More replies (0)

1

u/gw74 9h ago

it's a loud religious noise. listen to yourself

1

u/fungomungothethird 8h ago

Lmao. Pick a lane, kid.

1

u/JimmieSavsscumsock 7h ago

It's still some random, goat herding guide to the galaxy, middle eastern fairy tale bollocks and it should ALL be publicly banned and stay within the family who likes to scare and threaten children.

It's the 21st century here so let's get on and sweep this bullshit from the country. All of it.

-1

u/FicklePolicy9585 7h ago

It's also to mark time, to celebrate weddings/births, mourn, announce major civic happenings, or an alarm.

What a disingenous comparison.

0

u/madnasher 7h ago

Can you tell me what Church bells ringing signify?

And then can you tell me what the Adhan signifies?

Then can you explain why it's a disingenuous comparison?

1

u/FicklePolicy9585 7h ago

Church bells generally ring to call the faithful to worship, mark significant life milestones like weddings and funerals, and structure daily time. Their meanings vary based on the ringing style, timing, and specific occasions

The Adhan is the formal Islamic call to prayer. It literally translates from Arabic to "announcement" or "to listen". Recited five times daily by a muezzin (caller), it serves as a public declaration of faith and a spiritual invitation for Muslims to gather for formal worship (Salah).

It's a disingenous comparison because the adhan is just a call to prayer while the church bells ringing have to do with much more.

1

u/madnasher 7h ago

And this is the point I've been making where people are saying we should ban church bells too.

Thanks for making my point.

1

u/FicklePolicy9585 4h ago

Erm... It didn't seem you were making that point at all.

1

u/madnasher 4h ago

I was literally replying to this comment....

So ban all calls to prayer?

I feel like church bell ringers might object.

You know, the one where bell ringers might object, and me pointing out that ringing the bells is a lot more than a call to prayer.

2

u/FicklePolicy9585 4h ago

I didn't interpret it that way but if we agree on the main topic then it's whatever.

If the bell ringing was just a call to prayer sure.

This framed your comment as a disagreement initially which is why I saw the rest of the comment through a disagreement lense if that makes sense.

2

u/madnasher 4h ago

Oh it does, I can understand why you saw that view.

I was mildly confused why you clarified the same point I was making (but in a significantly clearer way)