New laws in Denmark for immigrant "ghettos"

A group of women of Somali origin play in a park at Mjolnerparken, a subdivision located on the "Ghetto List" of the Danish Government.

Reuters

A new set of laws governing life in 25 heavily Muslim, low-income enclaves in Denmark – officially called "ghettos" – is the latest salvo that Europe is striving to integrate an influx of migrants

. of 1, the "ghetto children" must be separated from their "ghetto parents" for 25 hours a week for compulsory education of "Danish values", which includes learning the language and traditions of Christmas and Easter, The New York Times

Families who do not comply with the rules could see their welfare benefits removed. Danish citizens outside these areas may choose to enroll or not preschool children up to the age of 6 years.

The integration of immigrants has been difficult for Denmark, a country known for its relatively homogeneous small population. who are ethnic Danes. Legislators focused on neighborhoods where immigrants, placed in these areas by the government, live in dense concentrations and sometimes suffer from higher rates of unemployment and violence.

Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen reportedly warned ghettos "Spread their tentacles in the streets" by spreading violence, and because of the ghettos, "cracks appeared on the map of Denmark."

Other measures are also being considered, including one that would double the sentence for some crimes if they are committed in one of the 25 enclaves. Another would impose a four-year prison sentence on immigrant parents who force their children to take extended trips to their home country.

Justice Minister Soren Pape Poulsen told the Times that these measures are not anti-Muslim

Poulsen said, "For me, no matter who lives in these areas and who believes in them, they must to profess the values ​​necessary to have a pleasant life in Denmark. "

Yildiz Akdogan, a Social Democrat whose parliamentary constituency includes Tingbjerg, classified as a ghetto, said that his constituents have become insensitive to the harsh rhetoric on immigrants and no longer register the negative connotation of the word "ghetto" and its echoes of the separation of Jews from Nazi Germany.

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"It becomes a dominant word, so dangerous," For its part, many inhabitants of "ghettos" in Denmark told Times that they would relocate if they could afford to live elsewhere.

A group of four sisters in an area classified as a ghetto publication they speak Danish without accent and converse with their children in Danish. Their children, they say, speak so little Arabic that they can barely communicate with their grandparents

"Maybe that's what they always have thought, and now it's open, "Sara Naassan told The Times. There is no anti-Muslim sentiment growing a year ago in the west of Denmark. "The Danish policy is only for Muslims now, they want us to be more assimilated or we go out, I do not know when they will be satisfied with us."

Rokhaia Naassan, who is due to give birth soon, is complaining to the Times that her daughter was learning so much Christmas in kindergarten that she came home to beg Santa's present.

"Nobody should tell me if or how my daughter should go to kindergarten. Or when," she says. "I would prefer to lose my benefits rather than submit to force."

Some residents of a 12-mile suburb said they approved of the new laws

"They spend too much Danish money," said Dorthe Pedersen at the Times. "We pay their rent, their clothes, their food, then they come in Danish and say," We can not work because we are in pain. ""

Anette Jacobsen, 64, retired on the Times that she so cherished the Danish welfare system, which had provided her four children with free education and care, that she felt a sense of urgency. renewed gratitude each time she paid her taxes, which in Denmark represented more than 50% of her yearly income.

"Morally, they should be grateful to be admitted into our system, which has It has been built over generations, "she said.

According to the government, nearly 87% of the 5.7 million Danish people are of Danish origin, and their descendants represent the rest. immigrants are of Muslim origin.

"One could say, of course, that parents have the right to raise their own children," he added. they do not have the right to destroy the future freedom of their children, "said Rune Lykkeberg, editor-in-chief of Dagbladet Information, a left-liberal daily.

Of course, he adds, "there is always a strong sense of authoritarian risk."