High school Ramadan party for all
When the annual and tradition-rich party at Nørre Gymnasium in Copenhagen was to be held this year, many parents got an ever-so-small surprise. For over two hours they had to sit and wait to eat because the sun had to set first. You had to observe Ramadan. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was also present, as she has been a student at the school.
The centerpiece of the traditional spring festival is the ballroom dance Les Lancers, where, according to tradition, people ate and enjoyed themselves first, then danced. But this year the program was turned upside down for the sake of Muslim students who observe Ramadan. Then you had to wait until the sun went down before you could serve the food.
Adapt to the Muslims
– It was quite a special evening. We had to sit and wait for about 2.5 hours to eat because we had to observe Ramadan and wait for the sun to set at 8.30 p.m. I am surprised that a Danish high school has chosen to implement religious regulations, which in my eyes will increase segregation in society, says Anders Vendelbo, who is far from a daughter who became a student at Nørre upper secondary school this year, reports Berlingske.
Pupils tell the newspaper that in several classes with Muslim pupils it had been agreed in advance that everyone should wait to eat until sunset. That was also the message from the teachers when Muslim students asked before the party about compatibility with Ramadan.
– Several Muslim girls in my class asked about Ramadan in class, but they were assured by our teacher that the program this year was organized according to the Ramadan rules, so we only had to eat after sunset, says a former student who wishes to remain anonymous.
The anonymity is probably about this former eleven wondering why it was the other students who had to adapt to the Muslims and not the other way around.
A parent also says that Muslims exercised a kind of social control during the event: “They sat and interpreted when the sun went down exactly in the Islamic sense. According to them, no one got to eat until we had rounded that time.»
Principal rudder
The school’s principal, Mette Vedel, will not admit to the fall. She says that the change in the program is about the fact that they needed more for eating and that they were “so many talents” (in dance) that they were graduating students so they needed more play breaks. But Berlingske has checked the program for the two previous years and concluded that this year’s dining was a quarter of an hour less than in 2020.
A somewhat pressured Vedel, however, is getting closer to the truth:
So you haven’t planned the program with Ramadan in mind?
“No, not just because of that.”
Men Ramadan was a consideration?
“No, that’s right. We had it in the deliberations, but it wasn’t just for that reason. We plan the program based on many considerations.’
And how was Ramadan weighted among the considerations?
“I can’t answer that.”
In Norway, the same principal would probably have been praised in the clouds by the media.
Silent Prime Minister
Interestingly, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was present at the same party, as she has a daughter who is a student there. But her daughter’s class has no Muslim students, so the Ramadan rules were not observed.
Did the prime minister know that she was at a school party where special regard for Islam was taking place around her, Berlingske wants to know. But the Social Democrat Frederiksen will not answer that. She will not be interviewed or answer the question in writing.
The newspaper indicates that the Social Democratic Party has laid down that public institutions must take reasonable account of religious minorities, but “not adapt to religion”. Is a Ramadan dinner inside or outside such a statement?
I have no doubts, but then I’m not a politician either.