Minister on new quiet room at AU: "Generally, I think it's a bad idea"

The so-called quiet rooms at Danish universities have been widely debated in recent months, not least due to the publication of the recommendations of a government commission on the rights of women with minority backgrounds, as well as the closure of the quiet room at the University of Southern Denmark for failing to meet neutrality standards.

It has since become clear that Aarhus University has at least four quiet rooms and a fifth on the way, which will be located at Katrinebjerg. Several politicians have taken notice of this information. One of them is Peter Skaarup, the Danish Democrats' spokesperson for immigration and integration. 

Danish government parties want to ban quiet rooms at universities. University of Southern Denmark (SDU) has already closed theirs temporarily. AU has four already and is planning to open another one.

On 13 March, Peter Skaarup wrote to Minister for Immigration and Integration Kaare Dybvad Bek (Social Democrats) asking what the minister thinks "about Aarhus University opening another quiet room". On 19 March, he received an answer at a meeting in the Danish Parliament. 

"Generally, I think it's a bad idea. There have been many stories that rise questions about whether these quiet rooms are being used as intended or whether they are being hijacked by religious groups. It's fine to have the ambition that people should be able to exhale, take a break or immerse themselves and so on. I don't think anyone is against that. Nevertheless, I believe that the University of Southern Denmark, among others, did the right thing when they chose to temporarily close their immersion rooms. This was done because they were not completely sure that it was a neutral space, available to everyone. I also assume that Aarhus University is aware of this issue. A government commission on the rights of women with minority backgrounds has taken an interest in the issue of educational institutions and made a number of recommendations, including prayer rooms, and this is something that I am also looking at. So generally speaking, I think it sounds like a bad idea," said Kaare Dybvad Bek in the Danish Parliament. 

Peter Skaarup let the minister know that it was good to have that sorted. 

"It was good to have that clarified by the minister and the government. We assume this also suggests quiet rooms are a bad idea," said Peter Skaarup. 

"If it's actually used as a quiet room, that's fine"

During the meeting, Peter Skaarup also referred to the recommendations of the commission. Half of the commission's ten members want to ban quiet rooms at universities. Peter Skaarup wanted to hear from the minister, why he believes that more research and time for reflection are needed before considering banning the rooms. 

"But why does the minister believe more deliberation time is needed? Is there any reason to hesitate when this commission says the rooms are being used for social control? This is not something the government likes very much," said Peter Skaarup. 

The commission does not assert that quiet rooms are used for social control, but that it may occur. 

In his answer, Kaare Dybvad Bek was not completely dismissive of the quiet rooms. 

"I think there are things to consider. If you imagine an educational institution where it's actually used as a quiet room, or where you can sit and read in peace and quiet without people talking on mobile phones, just like in the reading room of the Danish Parliament, that's fine. We can’t argue with that. On the other hand, I also find it refreshing to see that the University of Southern Denmark took such a concrete approach and closed a quiet room that had been hijacked by religious groups. I think it’s great they said: This is an educational institution; it's not religious judges who decide here," said the minister. 

"If you have these gender-segregated prayer rooms, it has to be stopped”

Within a day of each other in February, just after SDU had closed its quiet room, both the Danish People's Party and the Danish Democrats proposed a parliamentary resolution to ban prayer rooms at educational institutions.

Peter Skaarup wanted to hear the minister's position on this particular proposal in the Danish Parliament, and the answer was:

“I don’t want to undermine one of the Danish Democrats’ proposals by standing here in the Danish Parliament and pre-empting things. I believe we should approach that matter with respect when it is officially put on the agenda. However, I can say this much, and I've said it myself several times: if you have these gender-segregated prayer rooms - when we call them prayer rooms, then it sounds like people are sitting and praying evening prayers, but they are actually small mosques that are being established at Danish educational institutions - then it has to be stopped, and I think the rectors bear primary responsibility for that," said Kaare Dybvad Bek. 

This text is machine translated and post-edited by Cecillia Jensen.