More and More Danish employers think that Muhammed and Ahmed should also be able to take part in the company Christmas dinners. In the past few years, therefore, more Danish workplaces have been trying to adapt Christmas dinners in order to take Muslims into consideration.
Torben Møller-Hansen, manager of Foreningen Nydansker (Assocation of New Danish) was interviewed on occasion of a comprehensive study of integration efforts by 1000 Danish companies. He told Kristeligt Dagblad that Christmas parties are a good example of their impression. That people in 2007 have found prgramatic, simple and elegant solutions to problems that were considerend unsolvable in the past with religious barriers at the workplace.
He points to the debate when in 2001 Ikea decided that the traditional Christmas dinner would be more of a culture-neutral winter feast in November. The criticism of Ikea culminated with the Danish People's Party's demand to boycott Ikea because Ikea boycotted Christmas.
Now it turns out that many businesses are following in Ikea's footsteps and are making Christmas dinners that everybody can participate in.
A study by the NNF trade union and Analyse Danmark last year showed that many immigrants take part in Christmas dinners. 82% of businesses who have immigrant employees told NNF that immigrants take part, and 66% said that they take food into consideration for workers with a different ethnic background.
Ole Wehlas of NNF says that integration in the workplace depends not just on the actual work, but also on doing everything to be part of the social community. Also with people of a different ethnic background.
Source: DR (Danish)
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