Manu Sareen (born 16 May 1968 in India) is the former
Minister for Equality and former
Church and Nordic Cooperation,
in the
Cabinet of Helle Thorning-Schmidt
The cabinet of Prime Minister of Denmark, Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt was the Cabinet of Denmark, cabinet government of Denmark from 2011 in Denmark, 3 October 2011 to 3 February 2014. It was a coalition between the Social Democrats (Den ...
and former and member of the
Copenhagen City Council, elected for the
Danish Social Liberal Party.
Life
Sareen was raised on
Amager
Amager ( or, especially among older speakers, ) in the Øresund is Denmark's most densely populated island, with more than 212,000 inhabitants (January 2021) a small appendage to Zealand. The protected natural area of ''Naturpark Amager'' (includi ...
, where the family moved to from India in 1970.
He is a trained social worker and mediator, he has since 1997 been employed by the Hour Liaison/Ethnic consultant team, and has since 1999 been affiliated with the
City of Copenhagen as ethnic consultant. He is also a lecturer and teacher, and has written several books, including a book about forced marriages. In 2006 he debuted as a children's book author, and in 2007 he published the second book in the series about Iqbal Farooq.
Sareen was elected to the Copenhagen City Council in 2002 and was since 2006 Group leader of the
Danish Social Liberal Party. At the general election 2005 he was candidate in
Vesterbro district, and got second-most votes in the Western constituency. He was thus first alternate to MP
Lone Dybkjær. In 2011 he was elected to parliament for the
Nørrebro
Nørrebro (, ) is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is northwest of the city centre, beyond the location of the old Northern Gate (''Nørreport''), which, until dismantled in 1856, was near the current Nørreport station ...
district.
Manu Sareen was nominated for Politician of the Year in 2003, 2006 and 2007 by the National Association for Gays and Lesbians.
On the third of October 2011 he was appointed the first male minister for equality.
Sareen is the first minister of Denmark with a non-European ethnic background.
He is married to Anya Degn Sareen. The couple have three children.
Bibliography
* ''When love becomes coercion - generational conflict and forced marriages'' (2003)
* ''Iqbal Farooq - and the black pierrot'' (2006)
* ''How to avoid dropout AZ'' (2006)
* ''Iqbal Farooq - and the crown jewels'' (2007)
* ''Iqbal Farooq - and the Indian super chip'' (2009)
* ''Clumsy Hassan'' (2011)
References
External links and sources
Manu Sareen website*
Vestager overturns gender , 02.10.2011, Ekstra Bladet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sareen, Manu
Danish Ministers for Ecclesiastical Affairs
Danish Social Liberal Party politicians
Danish agnostics
1967 births
Living people
Danish children's writers
People from Copenhagen
Place of birth missing (living people)
Indian emigrants to Denmark
Members of the Folketing 2011–2015