Danish minister says Muslims shouldn't work during Ramadan

The Danish government minister responsible for immigration has asserted that Muslims shouldn't work during Ramadan because the traditional fasting period poses safety hazards in some professions and makes the practice "dangerous for us all."

Integration Minister Inger Stoejberg, an immigration hardliner with Denmark's center-right government, had a blog post published Monday by Danish tabloid BT that questioned how "commanding observance to a 1,400-year-old pillar of Islam" was compatible with modern labor markets.

Stoejberg cited bus drivers as an example of workers whose performance could be affected by fasting. She urged all Muslims to take work leave during the month of Ramadan "to avoid negative consequences for the rest of Danish society."

Finnish Muslim Union Chairwoman Pia Jardi called the minister's idea absurd and noted there was no research showing that fasting Muslim workers were a hazard.