What is 'non-Western' — and why is it targeted?
The Ministry of Interior and Housing notes that its categorization of "non-Western" is in line with Statistics Denmark, the central authority on statistics in the country.
Western countries under this concept include EU states, as well as the UK, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland, the Vatican State, Canada, US, Australia and New Zealand.
"All other countries are non-Western countries," the ministry said in a statement to DW on Tuesday.
"The distinction between Western and non-Western countries has nothing to do with a country’s political system, religion, economy or culture," it added.
The new proposal aims to take on what it calls "parallel societies," a term the government uses to label areas it deems to be lacking integration into Danish society. The Ministry of Interior and Housing said that when considering the unemployment rate, education, and crime rates, the number of "non-Western residents is an indicator of integration issues."
'Hits Muslims and immigrants'
But critics argue that such proposals will only further stigmatize Danes with diverse backgrounds — especially people of color and Muslims. Ozlem Cekic, a former lawmaker who was one of the first women with a Muslim immigrant background elected to Danish Parliament, says the current "ghetto" legislation and latest proposals are counterproductive.
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