In this solo episode of the How to Live in Denmark podcast, host Kay Xander Mellish discusses the experience of Muslims living in Denmark. He begins by noting the upcoming opening of Denmark’s first mosque with minarets, emphasizing the community’s effort to integrate by observing local church services. Mellish provides demographic context, stating that about 250,000 Muslims live in Denmark, most arriving in the past four decades. He highlights Muslim contributions such as the introduction of corner kiosks that extended retail hours, and the prominent presence of Muslim women in pharmacies and hospitals, where headscarves allow them to work in gender‑segregated roles. Citing statistics, he points out that second‑ and third‑generation immigrant girls now achieve higher educational credentials than ethnic Danes. Mellish then offers practical cultural advice for Muslims considering relocation: accept Danish dress norms, be comfortable with gay rights and same‑sex marriage, and share domestic responsibilities, as both men and women commonly clean, cook, and care for children. He illustrates this with a story of an Iranian engineer who quit a Danish firm after being asked to clean up after a Friday breakfast, underscoring the expectation that everyone participates in household tasks. The episode concludes with calls to follow his social media, leave podcast reviews, and purchase his How to Live in Denmark book.
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Hello and welcome to the How to Live in Denmark podcast. I'm Kay Xander Mellish. Before I get to the podcast this week, I want to thank everyone who came to our live event. It was a lot of fun, and we plan to have more events soon, so let me know if you'd like me to speak to your group. Now, on with the podcast. There's a new mosque opening down the street from me this spring, a big one. It will be the first mosque with minarets in Denmark, although the minarets are legally prohibited from calling to prayer. The people behind the mosque are doing everything they can to blend in with the local neighborhood. They even went to observe at a local church service a couple of Sundays ago. They were probably the only ones there. There are a lot of Muslims in Denmark, about 250,000 out of a population of 5.5 million, most of whom have arrived here in the past 40 years, or their descendants. And contrary to what the Danish right-wing parties might say, they've brought a lot of good things to Denmark, and not just shawarma shops. Corner kiosks, for example, are a Muslim innovation in Denmark. When I first visited Denmark in 1984, all the shops closed at 5:30 on weekdays and 2 PM on Saturdays, and then they were closed all day Sunday. If you ran out of milk on a Sunday, you had to borrow from a neighbor or just drink beer until Monday morning. The kiosks run by Muslim immigrants changed that. These days, Muslim women in particular have a lot to offer Danish society. If you go into any pharmacy in Denmark, you'll probably find at least one female pharmacist wearing a headscarf. I had a similar experience when I did a tour of the Rigshospitalet, Denmark's largest and most prestigious hospital, where all the royal babies are born. In the bloodwork division, where they test blood, almost all the workers were Muslim women wearing headscarves. This is a way for devout Muslim women to join the medical field without having to touch men or see men unclothed. I thought that was great. As a matter of fact, statistics show that girls from immigrant backgrounds— second generation, third generation— now attain higher educational credentials than ethnic Danes. Now, not all these girls are Muslims, but a lot of them are. At howtoliveindenmark.com, I get a fair amount of email from Muslims who write to me asking if Denmark is a good place for them to live. It is a good place. All the things that are good about Denmark for other people— that it's a peaceful country, a safe country, a country where you can earn a good living and still have time for your family— those are also good for Muslims. But I also tell the people who write to me that in a multicultural world, it's fair enough to ask the Danes to adapt and accept different ways of living, but you have to adapt and accept, too. People dress differently in Denmark than you may be accustomed to at home. The women wear less clothing, particularly in the summer, and this does not indicate that they're available to any man who asks. That's just what they're comfortable in, just like women you know may be more comfortable with traditional dress. If you live in Denmark, you have to accept this. I also tell the people who write to me that if you live in Denmark, you have to be able to accept gay people. Gay people here get married, they have children, and those children are going to play with your children. They're going to invite your children to their homes. If that's not something you can handle, your children are going to be lonely. They're not going to fit in, and they're less likely to be successful in school. Men and women— most married women work outside the home in Denmark. The tax system is set up so it's very difficult for one income to support a family, and very few people have servants in Denmark. That means that even educated, well-off people Do most of their own housework. Men, too. Educated, well-off men do cleaning and cooking and daily care of children. This is unusual in large parts of Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. In Denmark, it's expected. I read in the newspaper about a small Danish company that hired an Iranian engineer. At this particular company, everyone would eat breakfast together on Friday morning. After the breakfast was finished, they would take turns cleaning up. Everybody took a turn, including the CEO of the company. When it was the turn of the Iranian engineer to clean up, he quit. I'm an engineer, he said. I'm not a cleaning lady. In Denmark, that's not true. In Denmark, everybody's a cleaning lady. And that's the How to Live in Denmark podcast for this week. You can follow us on Facebook at the Xander Mellish page or on Twitter at How to Live in DK. The 2 is a number. Or at howtoliveindenmark.com. If you have time, go to iTunes and leave a review of this podcast. It will help other people find it. Music arranged by George Garvis. See you next week. Remember, the How to Live in Denmark book is available for download on amazon.com. You can read it on any phone or tablet. All you need is the Kindle app, and the Kindle app is free. The book's not free, but it's not very expensive either. If you read the book and enjoy it, please leave a review on your local version of amazon.com. It helps other people find the book and find the podcast.
