As Denmark gears up for its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in Geneva on 7 May 2026, it plans to showcase itself as a nation finally making significant strides against racism. In 2025, Denmark introduced its first National Action Plan Against Racism, a long-awaited initiative featuring 36 measures spanning various sectors.
On the surface, this seems like a milestone, and in part, it is. However, a closer look uncovers a concerning reality: Denmark’s strategy to combat racism is still selective, uneven, and incomplete. Notably, it inadequately tackles one of the most pressing discrimination issues today—anti-Muslim racism, or Islamophobia.
Bashy Quraishy
Secretary General – European Muslim Initiative for Social Cohesion – Strasbourg
Thierry Valle
Coordination des Associations et des Particuliers pour la Liberté de Conscience, France
Gregory Christensen
Chairman -Youth for Human Rights – Denmark
Amid the normalization of anti-Muslim rhetoric across Europe, Denmark’s new National Action Plan Against Racism should have been a turning point. Instead, it risks becoming another instance of selective anti-racism, acknowledging some discrimination forms while ignoring others.
As Denmark approaches its UPR in Geneva on 7 May 2026, European policymakers should resist premature congratulations. Behind the progress rhetoric lies a critical issue: political reluctance to directly address Islamophobia.
A Plan that recognizes some, but not all – appears to be a convenient omission.
Denmark’s action plan deserves recognition for explicitly addressing certain discrimination forms. It includes targeted measures against anti-Semitism and emphasizes racism experienced by Greenlanders, a group long marginalized within the Kingdom.
These are necessary steps but also reveal a fundamental flaw: the plan doesn’t equally recognize or protect all groups. Despite recommendations from international human rights bodies, Denmark’s plan doesn’t explicitly acknowledge Islamophobia as a distinct racism form or introduce specific measures to counter discrimination against Muslims in employment, education, housing, or public life.
This omission is not a minor oversight—it indicates a deeper policy imbalance.
Denmark’s 2025 action plan comprises 36 initiatives and, on paper, marks overdue acknowledgment that racism is structural. It addresses anti-Semitism and emphasizes discrimination against Greenlanders, both essential priorities.
However, regarding anti-Muslim racism, the silence is glaring. This is not an oversight but a political choice.
What is missing in the Action Plan?
- Islamophobia is not explicitly named.
- No targeted measures address discrimination against Muslims in employment, housing, or education.
- No dedicated strategy to tackle anti-Muslim hate crime.
- No clear acknowledgment that Muslims—one of Europe’s most scrutinized and politicized minorities—face systemic barriers.
The politics of selective recognition create a hierarchy of racism.
When governments detail certain racism forms while generalizing others, they risk creating a protection hierarchy.
In Denmark’s case:
- Anti-Semitism is explicitly named and addressed.
- Racism against Greenlanders is prioritized with dedicated initiatives.
- Anti-Muslim racism remains largely implicit, if acknowledged at all.
For European policymakers, this should be alarming. Human rights frameworks are based on universality—that every individual deserves equal protection without discrimination. Selective recognition undermines that principle and weakens anti-racism efforts’ credibility overall.
Unfortunately, across Europe and in Denmark, governments are increasingly comfortable condemning some racism forms while ignoring others. Anti-Semitism receives sustained attention and policy commitment. Conversely, Islamophobia is often treated as politically inconvenient—caught up in migration, security, and national identity debates.
Denmark’s action plan reflects this trend. By not explicitly addressing anti-Muslim racism, it sends a dangerous message: not all racism victims are equally worthy of protection. A hierarchy of racism takes hold—not through explicit exclusion, but through selective prioritization.
Normalization, not neutrality
The consequences of this approach reach beyond policy documents.
In Denmark and Europe, Muslims face:
- Disproportionate hate speech and hate crime levels.
- Persistent discrimination in labor and housing markets.
- Public narratives framing them as outsiders, security risks, or cultural threats.
When governments don’t name and address Islamophobia directly, they aren’t neutral—they’re allowing these dynamics to persist. Silence, in this situation, is not impartial. It is enabling.
Why does this matter now?
Denmark’s UPR timing is critical. The review is not merely procedural; it is an opportunity for states—and their European partners—to reaffirm equal and non-discriminatory commitments.
If Denmark’s plan goes unchallenged, it risks setting a precedent: that anti-racism strategies can be deemed adequate even if significant discrimination forms remain unaddressed. For European policymakers, the message is clear: partial approaches are unacceptable.
A European pattern of avoidance
Denmark isn’t an outlier. It represents a broader European pattern where political courage falters precisely where it’s most needed.
While anti-Semitism strategies have become more robust and coordinated at the EU
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