Vox - In Denmark, children over the age of 1 who live in low-income, heavily Muslim immigrant communities that the government classifies as “ghettos” will soon be subject to mandatory training in “Danish values.”

Once children turn 1, they will be required to attend daycare centers for at least 25 hours a week, where they will be taught about the Danish culture and language, including Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter. If parents refuse to send their children, they could lose their welfare benefits.

The law, which was passed on May 28, is part of a broader government initiative titled “One Denmark without Parallel Societies: No Ghettos in 2030.” The plan aims to eradicate what the Danish government says are “parallel communities” in Denmark that are rife with crime and populated by poor, uneducated immigrants from “non-Western countries” who are not being properly integrated into Danish society.

But critics say the policy portrays immigrants, and particularly Muslims, in a negative light. Sara Naassan, a child of Lebanese refugees living in Denmark, told the New York Times, “Danish politics is just about Muslims now. They want us to get more assimilated or get out. I don’t know when they will be satisfied with us.”

In addition to forcing children to attend integration classes, the government plan includes proposals to restrict economic benefits and demolish “ghetto” neighborhoods. One proposal would allow people in the enclaves to be subject to double punishments for crimes like vandalism or theft.

“The ghettos must disappear. We will take control of who moves. In particularly burdened areas, we will punish criminality extra hard,” Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said while meeting with other ministers in March.

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