Denmark has announced new immigration laws that will make it more difficult for Muslim clerics and other religious leaders to enter the country. Anthony Browne, Europe Correspondent, left, reports.

What is the Danish Government proposing?

The Liberal-Conservative Government has proposed tightening Denmark's immigration laws to make it more difficult for imams, Muslim clerics, to emigrate there.

The measures were first proposed by the Danish People's Party (DPP), the far-right political party, and while they cover all religious leaders, were drafted with the imams in mind.

The proposals are likely to be passed into law relatively quickly, because they have cross-party support. They will mean that anyone arriving in Denmark with a religious visa will have to prove that they are educated, financially self-sufficient and have connections to an established group in Denmark.

A religious leader would also need to demonstrate that he or she is a "worthy" applicant, although as yet it is unclear exactly what that means.

Why does Denmark think this is necessary?

The Government wants the immigrant population, and particularly its Muslims, to integrate with the rest of Danish society. It wants to stop the growth of a parallel Muslim community, led by imams who preach the rejection of Western and Danish values to Muslim youth. Out of the 200 immigrants who come to Denmark on religious visas each year, 50 or so are Muslims.

A second reason relates to terrorism, which could be encouraged by the virulent anti-Western rhetoric that some imams use when preaching to their congregations. One example quoted in the Danish media is of an imam who had been openly praising Osama bin Laden during his Friday sermons.

The Government has tried before to stop this. It attempted and failed to ban Hizb ut-Tahir, a radical Islamic group whose aims include converting the world to Sharia (Islamic law). The group has some notoriety in Denmark, although it does not advocate violence.

Why is integration so important to the Danes?

Denmark is a remarkably homogenous society, a fact that Danes view with some pride. There is very little income or class differential within the population, which has encouraged its reputation as a liberal welfare state.

Yet some neighbourhoods in Copenhagen are 97 per cent immigrant, much higher than many other urban areas across Europe. Many national newspapers have described these areas as ticking time bombs, which threaten broader society.

These fears have been played upon by the Danish People's Party (DPP), which is similar to the anti-immigrant party in the Netherlands once led by the murdered politician Pim Fortuyn.

The Government's response, of which the immigration measures form a part, is to protect the country's homogenous culture and discourage multiculturalism by demanding that immigrants adhere to Danish values. Many people in Denmark support this policy and, like the Netherlands, have seen the political debate surrounding immigration lurch to the right in recent years.

The consensus in Denmark over this issue contrasts with countries like France and Britain, where the debate about integration is much more polarised.

What other anti-immigrant laws has Denmark introduced?

The Government plans to double the fine for those who hide rejected asylum seekers from 2,500Kr (£225) to 5,000Kr (£450). Repeat offenders could also be imprisoned.

The most contentious law relates to bringing over married partners from foreign countries. The rules state that the partner must be over 24 years old, must not use benefits and must have a connection to Denmark other than through their partner.

In practice this means that a Danish national, married to a Palestinian woman who speaks Arabic, would not be able to bring his wife into the country because she has no Danish connection other than being married to a Dane. A similar policy is also in place in the Netherlands.

The Danish Government has said that this type of marriage could also stop immigrants from integrating properly by allowing people to come to the country who otherwise would have no connection to the place. The Government thought this problem significant because around 70 per cent of Islamic marriages involve bringing over a foreign partner.

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