In Denmark, we have a very brave politician. She is a women named Birthe Rønn Hornbech. She belongs to the right wing of the government, and is the minister for integration and the Church of Denmark. An unusual cocktail of ministries, I know, but this was how the government preferred it to be. Even though the government is very much against head scarfs and other symbols that have anything to do with Islam, this brave woman last week wrote a very clever and interesting article in a Danish newspaper. The case was, that a lot of politicians on the right wing wants to ban head scarfs from the Danish Court rooms, so that no judge should be allowed to wear one. Birthe Rønn argued, against the government and her party, that it would not be wise with such a ban. She argued, that no judge should be forced to wear any symbols, and therefore not be baned from searing them either. Any such ban would be bad for the impartiality of the court room. The union of Danish Judges agreed with Birthe Rønn Hornbech, since they could not see how any such ban would support the court, and keep it free from religious prejudices. As one of the Danish judges argued: 'It takes at least 15 years for a person to go through the juridical system, before he or she will be choosed as a judge. Any person who has shown any sign of religious extremism would no be chosen anyway. A Muslim women who has been through this process, and has been chosen, would obviously not be an extremist, whether she wears the veil or not'
Today, Birthe Rønn Hornbech's own party, Venstre, has ordered her not to speak in public about head scarfs at all. The government will soon vote on a ban on head scarfs and other 'religious symbols' in Danish Court Rooms. -From now on, I can only talk about my own silk scarfs, Birthe Rønn Hornbech said today, after a meeting with her party, Venstre.
The Danish Government is voting on the ban later this week.