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My book

Psychologist Nicolai Sennels’ book “Among criminal muslims. A psychologist’s experiences from Copenhagen.” has received an enormous amount of attention in the Danish medias already before the book got published (February 24th). Sennels has been invited to a number of debates in tv, radio and newspapers. The book is widely discussed in the newspapers debate pages and on blogs on the internet. The first printing of the book was sold out after only three weeks. Nicolai Sennels’ ground breaking psychological view on therapy with criminal muslims already drew attention years ago and newspapers, national radio and magazines for professionals has published several interviews and articles by Sennels.

The basis for the book is Nicolai Sennels’ work with young criminals at Copenhagen’s youth prison, Sønderbro, where around 70 percent of the prisoners have a muslim background. On the basis of several hundred therapeutic sessions with muslim teenagers Sennels has reached the conclusion that their anti-social behavior does not stem from personal and social problems alone, but that their cultural and religious background plays a significant role. In the first half of the book Sennels’ analyzes the psychology of the muslim culture as it shows itself in Western psychological perspective. In the second half he shows how this knowledge can be used in therapeutic and social work.


“Among criminal muslims. A psychologist’s experiences from Copenhagen Municipality” is an unprecedented possibility to get in-depth insights into the psychological causes of the immense problems with integration of Muslims in Europe as they are unveiled in the psychologist’s office, the therapy room. Nicolai Sennels, authorized psychologist, is the first and until now only psychologist working on Copenhagen’s secure institution for criminal adolescents, Sønderbro. He generously shares his advices and unique experiences from countless individual and group sessions with around 150 muslim teenagers and thereby gives the integration debate the psychological angle that has been lacking for so many years.

Nicolai Sennels writing style is also easily accessible to the non-professional. His book is rich on practical experience, concrete solutions and thought provoking conclusions. It is a rare invitation to see behind the normally closed doors of the therapy room in a youth prison. Here young muslims tell their own stories about their lives on the streets and in their families, about their relationship to integration and religion as well as their experience of our Western social system.

In the book Sennels gives concrete step-by-step examples on how to structure work with criminal Muslim foreigners. He touches subjects like “the logic of anger”, the relationship between honor and self-confidence, the handling of emotions in Muslim families, the Muslim identity and in the chapter “When the Muslim fundamentalist went to a psychologist” he shows why criminal Muslims are likely to become religious extremists.

Sennels draws a psychological picture of the muslim culture as a very strong and proud culture and the impact of these cultural patterns on the development of the individual’s identity and personality. Nicolai Sennels shows how and why aggressive behavior is socially accepted in Muslim families and culture, and how this affects their lives and their surroundings in the more dialogue-oriented Western societies. He also draws a very clear picture of a basic psychological difference between Muslim and Western societies concerning the experience of the courses for our lives: While self-reflection and self responsibility is basic in Western upbringing, the Muslim upbringing focuses on finding outer courses for ones own problems. This cultural pattern supports the experience of being the victim of outer conditions and thereby diminishes the individual’s motivation for taking responsibility for one’s own life. The book shows how Muslims’ strong identification with their culture and religion has the tendency to create a feeling of opposition to other cultures – especially if these other cultures are trying to force their values and traditions upon one as a muslim. Throughout the book Sennels supports his experiences and professional conclusions with a wide range of research on the different topics.

The book’s point is that social work and social politics on integration, religious extremism and Muslim foreigners’ high crime rates must be based on an understanding of the Muslim culture (culture – not necessarily religion). Sennels argues convincingly for more cultural sensitivity: “People from different cultures have very different needs when they have and make problems.” On the basis of countless therapeutic sessions with criminal and extremist muslims, Sennels gives his view on why some cultures fit better together than others and in its final conclusion he asks the very important question: “Do you think that integration of muslims in Western societies is possible?”

The book is advised especially for students in the humanistic fields, professional social workers and politicians working with integration.