April 7, 2025
Updated on Apr 7, 2025By Joshua Coe
The remnants of a public housing block loom in the center of Gellerupparken in Aarhus, Denmark, on Dec. 14, 2024. The country is demolishing or repurposing public housing across the country in neighborhoods designated “parallel societies,” as part of a forced assimilation policy.Joshua Coe/The World
Muhammad Aslam, 57, pointed out his old apartment in Mjølnerparken, a well-known public housing complex in the Danish capital of Copenhagen.
The place was fenced off and monitored by security cameras, while the next-door lot — where neighboring apartments once stood — rumbled with the sounds of construction underway.
“This was our original home where we have lived since 1987, where the kids grew up, went to school and university,” Aslam said, gesturing toward a balcony on the third floor of an apartment building with a clean, red-brick facade.
Muhammad Aslam stands outside the apartment building where he had lived since 1987, in the Mjølnerparken neighborhood of Copenhagen. While he got his Danish citizenship in the 1980s and has worked in Copenhagen’s taxi industry, Aslam was ordered to move out of his apartment under Denmark’s 2018 “ghetto package” policy.Joshua Coe/The World
Their 1,000-square-foot apartment had three bedrooms and a living room — enough space to raise a family, he said. But a few years ago, Aslam and his wife, along with hundreds of their neighbors, were ordered to relocate to temporary housing after the government designated Mjølnerparken a “hard ghetto.”
Mjølnerparken, where about 80% of its 1,659 residents have roots in the Middle East and North Africa, has been featured in past media coverage about Copenhagen’s gang warfare. However, reports from that time also note that unemployment and criminal convictions within the community had dropped significantly.
Since 2018, Denmark has undertaken a policy of forced integration by tearing down or repurposing homes in mostly immigrant neighborhoods where the government claims that residents don’t adhere to “Danish values.” The goal of the “parallel society law” is “integration through dispersion” to attract more ethnic Danes to these communities.
But critics describe this attempt at social engineering as racist and Islamophobic, disproportionately impacting the country’s most vulnerable people.
Aslam is one of 12 plaintiffs fighting back against Denmark in court, arguing that the law is discriminatory. Their case is now before the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, and the body’s ruling, expected sometime this year, could force Denmark to rethink the policy.
Their 1,000-square-foot apartment had three bedrooms and a living room — enough space to raise a family, he said. But a few years ago, Aslam and his wife, along with hundreds of their neighbors, were ordered to relocate to temporary housing after the government designated Mjølnerparken a “hard ghetto.”
Mjølnerparken, where about 80% of its 1,659 residents have roots in the Middle East and North Africa, has been featured in past media coverage about Copenhagen’s gang warfare. However, reports from that time also note that unemployment and criminal convictions within the community had dropped significantly.
Since 2018, Denmark has undertaken a policy of forced integration by tearing down or repurposing homes in mostly immigrant neighborhoods where the government claims that residents don’t adhere to “Danish values.” The goal of the “parallel society law” is “integration through dispersion” to attract more ethnic Danes to these communities.
But critics describe this attempt at social engineering as racist and Islamophobic, disproportionately impacting the country’s most vulnerable people.
Aslam is one of 12 plaintiffs fighting back against Denmark in court, arguing that the law is discriminatory. Their case is now before the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, and the body’s ruling, expected sometime this year, could force Denmark to rethink the policy.
Excavators and other construction equipment rest behind a fenced-off construction site in the Gellerupparken neighborhood of Denmark on Dec. 14, 2024.Joshua Coe/The World
“I couldn’t imagine in my dreams, my own country would make this kind of law against the community and people in Denmark,” Aslam said. “It’s so terrible to think about.”
Aslam, who arrived in Denmark from Pakistan when he was 7 years old, got his Danish citizenship in the 1980s and has worked in the taxi business. He proudly discussed the successes of his four Danish-born children: a lawyer, an engineer, a psychologist and a social work student.
Aslam and his wife have been told they could be relocated to permanent housing nearby as early as July. But he said that they’re tired of living out of boxes and moving again and again. They’re already in their second temporary accommodation, a small apartment nearby intended for university students.
Regardless of where they finally land, he said that it will never feel the same.
“Because home is not four walls,” he explained. “Home is the memories you make.”
‘Non-Western’ synonymous with Muslim
Former Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen introduced the controversial parallel society law as part of a 2018 initiative. He said in his New Year speech that year that “Danish values” like “equality, liberality and tolerance” had lost ground, while conflicting values arose in the ghettos where “young people are forced to marry someone they don’t love,” and “women are considered less valuable than men.”
“Many people with the same problems are clustered together,” he said of these “parallel societies.” He added, “It creates a negative spiral, a counterculture.”
His government laid out goals to dismantle parallel societies, which it used a set of criteria to define, including that half or more residents are “non-Western,” or have origins in countries not on its shortlist of “Western countries.
Non-Westerners, which can include both citizens who were born in Denmark and immigrants, account for 10% of the country’s population of 6 million, according to Denmark’s Integration Barometer. Those from Muslim-majority countries amount to about half of these so-called non-Westerners.
Copenhagen-based sociologist Rikke Skovgaard Nielsen said that in national politics, non-Western usually means Muslim: “It’s often referred to as non-Western immigrants, but the discussions that are being had relate to some of the cultural beliefs or norms of Muslims — even if Muslims are not being mentioned directly.”
“I couldn’t imagine in my dreams, my own country would make this kind of law against the community and people in Denmark,” Aslam said. “It’s so terrible to think about.”
Aslam, who arrived in Denmark from Pakistan when he was 7 years old, got his Danish citizenship in the 1980s and has worked in the taxi business. He proudly discussed the successes of his four Danish-born children: a lawyer, an engineer, a psychologist and a social work student.
Aslam and his wife have been told they could be relocated to permanent housing nearby as early as July. But he said that they’re tired of living out of boxes and moving again and again. They’re already in their second temporary accommodation, a small apartment nearby intended for university students.
Regardless of where they finally land, he said that it will never feel the same.
“Because home is not four walls,” he explained. “Home is the memories you make.”
‘Non-Western’ synonymous with Muslim
Former Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen introduced the controversial parallel society law as part of a 2018 initiative. He said in his New Year speech that year that “Danish values” like “equality, liberality and tolerance” had lost ground, while conflicting values arose in the ghettos where “young people are forced to marry someone they don’t love,” and “women are considered less valuable than men.”
“Many people with the same problems are clustered together,” he said of these “parallel societies.” He added, “It creates a negative spiral, a counterculture.”
His government laid out goals to dismantle parallel societies, which it used a set of criteria to define, including that half or more residents are “non-Western,” or have origins in countries not on its shortlist of “Western countries.
Non-Westerners, which can include both citizens who were born in Denmark and immigrants, account for 10% of the country’s population of 6 million, according to Denmark’s Integration Barometer. Those from Muslim-majority countries amount to about half of these so-called non-Westerners.
Copenhagen-based sociologist Rikke Skovgaard Nielsen said that in national politics, non-Western usually means Muslim: “It’s often referred to as non-Western immigrants, but the discussions that are being had relate to some of the cultural beliefs or norms of Muslims — even if Muslims are not being mentioned directly.”
The entrance to Bazar Vest (Bazaar West), a popular shopping center with a wide variety of eateries and goods from around the world in the Gellerupparken neighborhood of Aarhus, Denmark, on Dec. 15, 2024. Gellerup is one of the most diverse areas of Denmark, but it’s long been dubbed a ghetto due to higher-than-average crime rate and levels of poverty.Joshua Coe/The World
Nielsen said she believes this rhetoric stems from Danish fears about cultural shifts as immigration rises: “I think that there’s the fear that we’re not that many Danes, so maybe it’s also an insecurity around being able to carry on with a Danish way of life — if there is such a Danish way of life.”
Under Danish law, the government can order that certain areas be “transformed.” This usually entails tearing down public housing to make way for private redevelopment and relocating most tenants.
Only those who are employed are allowed to return to the area following redevelopment, Nielsen explained. (People without jobs are moved elsewhere in the city.)
The government does not advertise how many people have been affected, but the news outlet Mandag Morgen estimated in 2019 that 11,000 people would, in turn, be required to leave their homes.
Denmark has suggested that the law is already making a difference. Its most recent data from December of 2024 showed that the number of parallel societies shrank from 12 to eight that year alone. In a statement, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing attributed the reduction “to the fact that the level of education in the areas has increased and the number of convicted persons has decreased.”
Bent Madsen heads BL, the umbrella organization for Denmark’s housing associations that work with local governments to create transformation plans. He said that although the organization originally opposed the law, it has contributed to improvements.
“If you look at the general picture, there is more and more progress in the housing areas, so, it’s a very good development,” he said.
He emphasized that these results also come from long-standing social development programs offering youth jobs, plus employment initiatives and homework help.
Nielsen said she believes this rhetoric stems from Danish fears about cultural shifts as immigration rises: “I think that there’s the fear that we’re not that many Danes, so maybe it’s also an insecurity around being able to carry on with a Danish way of life — if there is such a Danish way of life.”
Under Danish law, the government can order that certain areas be “transformed.” This usually entails tearing down public housing to make way for private redevelopment and relocating most tenants.
Only those who are employed are allowed to return to the area following redevelopment, Nielsen explained. (People without jobs are moved elsewhere in the city.)
The government does not advertise how many people have been affected, but the news outlet Mandag Morgen estimated in 2019 that 11,000 people would, in turn, be required to leave their homes.
Denmark has suggested that the law is already making a difference. Its most recent data from December of 2024 showed that the number of parallel societies shrank from 12 to eight that year alone. In a statement, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing attributed the reduction “to the fact that the level of education in the areas has increased and the number of convicted persons has decreased.”
Bent Madsen heads BL, the umbrella organization for Denmark’s housing associations that work with local governments to create transformation plans. He said that although the organization originally opposed the law, it has contributed to improvements.
“If you look at the general picture, there is more and more progress in the housing areas, so, it’s a very good development,” he said.
He emphasized that these results also come from long-standing social development programs offering youth jobs, plus employment initiatives and homework help.
Banners protesting the demolition of a public housing block hang from the balconies in the Gellerupparken neighborhood of Aarhus, Denmark, on Dec. 14, 2024. They read “We are not moving,” and “Fingers off our home.”Joshua Coe/The World
“It’s about the pupils doing better in school, people coming closer to the labor market, the crime rate reduced, and that’s the important thing,” Madsen said.
But Nielsen, whose research focuses on housing policy, questioned who the policy is working for.
“The idea that by dispersion, assimilation will follow, that’s of course, debatable in itself,” Nielsen said. “There is no proof that by dispersing people, they will become more assimilated.”
On the contrary, she said the forced evictions create more challenges for residents who risk losing social networks that could have helped them find new opportunities.
‘Not one of us’
Ezzeddine Azzam, 60, along with his wife and daughter, are among nearly a dozen remaining occupants contesting their evictions from Gellerupparken, a public housing complex in Aarhus that was set to be torn down in 2024.
“It’s about the pupils doing better in school, people coming closer to the labor market, the crime rate reduced, and that’s the important thing,” Madsen said.
But Nielsen, whose research focuses on housing policy, questioned who the policy is working for.
“The idea that by dispersion, assimilation will follow, that’s of course, debatable in itself,” Nielsen said. “There is no proof that by dispersing people, they will become more assimilated.”
On the contrary, she said the forced evictions create more challenges for residents who risk losing social networks that could have helped them find new opportunities.
‘Not one of us’
Ezzeddine Azzam, 60, along with his wife and daughter, are among nearly a dozen remaining occupants contesting their evictions from Gellerupparken, a public housing complex in Aarhus that was set to be torn down in 2024.
Ezzeddine Azzam (far right) meets with local community activists in the entrance of his longtime apartment building in the Gellerupparken neighborhood of Aarhus, Denmark, on Dec. 14, 2024. Since most of his neighbors were ordered to leave the housing block, Azzam said the lack of heated homes has made the winter colder for him.Joshua Coe/The World
A local court ruled last year that they could remain here until the European Court of Justice reaches a final decision on the parallel society law.
Outside the building, banners hung from the balconies read, “We are not moving,” and “Fingers off our home.” Most of the apartments were boarded up.
“Why should we move, and why should they tear down this building?” said Azzam, sitting on the sofa in his large, bright living room. He has lived in the apartment for over two decades.
Azzam, who came to Denmark from Lebanon as a refugee in 1989 fleeing civil war, built a life for himself in the country. He learned the language, became a Danish citizen, found work as a bus driver and raised three kids with his wife.
“Because of my background, even though I have Danish citizenship, [and] I’ve lived [here] for many years, still it’s because of that background,” Azzam said. “That’s why we have to move.”
A local court ruled last year that they could remain here until the European Court of Justice reaches a final decision on the parallel society law.
Outside the building, banners hung from the balconies read, “We are not moving,” and “Fingers off our home.” Most of the apartments were boarded up.
“Why should we move, and why should they tear down this building?” said Azzam, sitting on the sofa in his large, bright living room. He has lived in the apartment for over two decades.
Azzam, who came to Denmark from Lebanon as a refugee in 1989 fleeing civil war, built a life for himself in the country. He learned the language, became a Danish citizen, found work as a bus driver and raised three kids with his wife.
“Because of my background, even though I have Danish citizenship, [and] I’ve lived [here] for many years, still it’s because of that background,” Azzam said. “That’s why we have to move.”
The view inside the apartment opposite across the hall from Ezzeddine Azzam’s home in the Gellerupparken public housing block on Dec. 14, 2024. The people living here were ordered to relocate after the Danish government designated Gellerupparken a “parallel society.” Azzam was among 11 residents remaining in the building.Joshua Coe/The World
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing declined to comment for this story, citing the ongoing court case.
Petra Fokdal, one of the attorneys representing the Mjølnerparken residents, said that singling out non-Western residents violates federal and EU laws as well as the European Convention on Human Rights.
Last month, the court’s Advocate General agreed with the plaintiffs’ argument that the parallel society law amounted to “direct discrimination based on ethnicity.”
Fokdal said the decision puts into words an idea that “we haven’t heard the court say directly in such a way before.”
Although it’s not a binding decision, it could discourage similar policies from taking shape elsewhere across Europe, Fokdal said.
Denmark said it will not take action to change the law until the court’s final decision is announced.
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing declined to comment for this story, citing the ongoing court case.
Petra Fokdal, one of the attorneys representing the Mjølnerparken residents, said that singling out non-Western residents violates federal and EU laws as well as the European Convention on Human Rights.
Last month, the court’s Advocate General agreed with the plaintiffs’ argument that the parallel society law amounted to “direct discrimination based on ethnicity.”
Fokdal said the decision puts into words an idea that “we haven’t heard the court say directly in such a way before.”
Although it’s not a binding decision, it could discourage similar policies from taking shape elsewhere across Europe, Fokdal said.
Denmark said it will not take action to change the law until the court’s final decision is announced.
The rubble from a public housing block lies in a heap in the center of Gellerupparken.Joshua Coe/The World
Aslam, one of the residents represented by Fokdal, said the whole situation has changed how he views his place in Danish society.
“This is telling me and my kids and a lot of other people in the country that, ‘You are not one of us, you cannot be part of the society [because] you were born in non-Western countries,’” Aslam said. “So, it doesn’t matter what you do to be a Danish, or to be a part of the society.”
If knocking down people’s homes and forcing them to move is all for the sake of preserving Danish values, Aslam said, he thinks there’s a crucial value Denmark is forgetting here: freedom.
“We are living in a free country in the free world,” Aslam said. “You can eat what you want to eat. You can wear what you want to wear. And you can live how you want to live. This is freedom for everyone.”
Aslam, one of the residents represented by Fokdal, said the whole situation has changed how he views his place in Danish society.
“This is telling me and my kids and a lot of other people in the country that, ‘You are not one of us, you cannot be part of the society [because] you were born in non-Western countries,’” Aslam said. “So, it doesn’t matter what you do to be a Danish, or to be a part of the society.”
If knocking down people’s homes and forcing them to move is all for the sake of preserving Danish values, Aslam said, he thinks there’s a crucial value Denmark is forgetting here: freedom.
“We are living in a free country in the free world,” Aslam said. “You can eat what you want to eat. You can wear what you want to wear. And you can live how you want to live. This is freedom for everyone.”
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