In a recent statement, the Danish Minister of the Church, Morten Dahlin, and Minister for Gender Equality, Marie Bjerre, have expressed that it is no longer sufficient for immigrants to integrate into Danish society; they must also assimilate Danish values. This was reported in Jyllands-Posten, where the ministers clarified that they are seeking a “value-based assimilation” rather than just cultural integration. According to Morten Dahlin, society has not been clear enough in its expectations for newcomers. “It’s not just about integrating into society. We expect an assimilation of the values ​​we stand for in Denmark,” he explained. Marie Bjerre added that this involves a full acceptance of Danish values. “You have to buy into the value-based package that is the foundation of our society,” she said.
These comments come in the wake of a debate initiated by the Social Democratic Party’s spokesperson for immigration, Frederik Vad, who has pointed out issues with immigrants who appear to be well-integrated but do not support Danish values ​​in secret. Bjerre and Dahlin did not specify how significant they believe this problem is or exactly when a person can be considered sufficiently assimilated. However, they mentioned specific examples such as Islamic marriage contracts and gender-separated swimming, which they see as incompatible with Danish values. Following their statements, they have also addressed an increase in anti-Semitic incidents in Denmark, which they believe underscores the need for a stronger value-based approach in immigration policy.
As part of their initiatives, the government is considering introducing democracy dialogues before granting citizenship, and a law is planned to intervene in Islamic marriage contracts as a step towards strengthening value-based assimilation.