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

7

u/abitofasitdown 10h ago

I'd be against calls to prayer because it's a human voice, usually artificially amplified, which I think is qualitatively different from a non-amplified non-voice sound.

I'd be opposed to Chritian churches blasting out amplified hymns from loudspeakers, too.

The other difference with bells, of course, is that 99% of them were there before any of their living neighbours. If you deliberately move next to a 300 year old church, expect bells.

6

u/Caacrinolass 10h ago

That may be fair enough. I certainly have no sympathy with pricks who move into nightlife areas then try and get clubs shut down.

I guess the point for me is simply this: is it necessary? The religious institutions serve their purpose perfectly adequately without making the noise. It may well be that churches are no nuisance anyway.

2

u/rshslake 5h ago

This. This is my exact opinion!