To the Editor:
I am writing in response to Marie Thamdrup’s column in Wednesday’s paper, “The math of social democracy.” Her argument is, in short, that because the government in her home country of Denmark provides basic necessities like healthcare and education, the Danish population enjoys one of the highest standards of living in the world. This is entirely true — if you're white.
Muslim immigrants to Denmark lead an entirely different life; a life in neighborhoods that the government refers to as “ghettos,” and one in which that wonderful state-provided education system forcibly indoctrinates Muslim children into a Danish way of life. By governmental order, all children from these Muslim “ghettos” are required to attend training in “Danish values.” This includes, but is not limited to, being taught about Christian holidays like Christmas and Easter.
Children as young as 1 must attend these Danish values classes for 30 hours a week, or five hours every weekday excluding nap time. This indoctrination is part of a government initiative entitled, “One Denmark without Parallel Societies: No Ghettos in 2030.” The purpose of this initiative is to rid the country once and for all of so-called “parallel societies,” by which the government means communities that maintain the culture from their home country.
It is impossible to view this as anything other than forced assimilation, and the Danish government’s greatest tools in ensuring this are the very things that Thamdrup praised so heavily in her column.
Many of these Muslim immigrants reside in government-controlled housing, an example of a government provision that Thamdrup would undoubtedly applaud. However, the Danish government's control over the housing is precisely what could allow them to execute their plans to forcibly relocate the Muslim inhabitants who live there. When the government says that something is mandatory, there is always an implied threat. Those who don’t go along with the plan face retribution of some sort; a fine, prison time, or, as the Danish government has the power to do, the denial of basic rights.
For example, parents who refuse to turn their infants, toddlers and children over to the state for 5+ hours a day will be denied welfare funds. How guaranteed are these other basic necessities Thamdrup points to? Is it so difficult to imagine that a denial of, say, healthcare could be enacted on nonconforming citizens?
Thamdrup pointed out that Danes routinely score high on the happiness index. They are, according to the most recent World Happiness Report, the second happiest country in the world. I have a hard time imagining, however, that Muslim immigrants living in Denmark lead very happy lives.
The examples I’ve provided of discrimination in Denmark are only a few. There is also the infamous burqa ban, and the government’s authorization of the police to seize all valuables from asylum seekers. Also, there's the Lindholm Island project — which is just as ominous as it sounds. It is a camp for denied asylum seekers on Lindholm Island, which is specifically designed to be inhospitable. Before being used to house asylum seekers, the island held research laboratories for infectious diseases. It seems the government views immigrants in similar terms.
