With the start of mandatory military service for girls approaching: Will wearing the hijab be allowed?
With the recruitment of young women into the Danish army set to begin in about two months, there appears to be a debate between the recruitment board and the armed forces administration about allowing the wearing of the hijab as part of the official military uniform.
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The Danish newspaper Berlingske published an article stating that the Danish Conscription Board (Værnepligtsrådet), which is concerned with the interests of conscripts, wants to allow female conscripts in the Danish Armed Forces to wear the hijab while on duty.
According to council member Emily Søgaard Hansen, citing the same source, the Danish Armed Forces should be a modern workplace that values diversity regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, or religion. Therefore, the council supports the introduction of the "camouflage" headscarf with the uniform starting next July, when the Danish Armed Forces will begin calling up young women for military service on an equal footing with young men.
According to the Compulsory Service Board, the introduction of multi-camouflage scarves (multicamouflagetørklæder) in July 2025 aims to enable Muslim women to wear headscarves in a manner consistent with the official military uniform. However, this change has not yet been officially adopted by the armed forces, and headscarves remain prohibited under current regulations, unlike the rules in place in other countries such as Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
According to the Berlingske newspaper, the Danish Armed Forces are finding it difficult to attract ethnic minorities. In 2020, this group comprised only 1.51 TP3T of recruits, while in the same year they made up 13.31 TP3T of the total workforce.
This move reflects the ongoing debate in Denmark about integrating religious symbols into the Danish military. While some advocate for greater diversity and inclusion, others insist on maintaining the secular nature of the state and the principles of religious neutrality within the Danish armed forces.
As of the time of writing, Berlingske had not been able to obtain a comment from the army commander or his deputy, according to the newspaper.
