Austria’s Islamic headscarf ban takes effect as under-14s return to school

Austria’s new school year has begun with a ban on traditional Muslim head coverings for girls under 14. The law applies to public and private schools and covers garments such as hijabs and burkas.

Integration Minister Claudia Bauer of the conservative People’s Party, or ÖVP, described the headscarf as “a sign of oppression and a means of controlling girls from the earliest childhood”. The coalition government, made up of the ÖVP, Social Democrats and liberal Neos, says the measure represents a “clear commitment to gender equality” and aims to protect young girls’ rights.

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a sign of oppression and a means of controlling girls from the earliest childhood

The official Islamic Community in Austria, known as IGGÖ, firmly opposes the ban. Carla Amina Baghajati said it “unjustifiably restricts the fundamental right to freedom of religion and disproportionately affects Muslim girls”. She added: “Rather than protecting children, it singles out a specific religious practice and risks excluding the very children it claims to support.”

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unjustifiably restricts the fundamental right to freedom of religion and disproportionately affects Muslim girls

IGGÖ said it would support legal challenges from girls and their families who believe their rights had been infringed. Austria’s Constitutional Court struck down an earlier primary-school headscarf ban in 2020, ruling that it breached the principle of religious neutrality.

Teachers are expected to enforce the new measure through talks with students and their legal guardians. If violations continue, child services must be notified, and guardians could eventually face fines of up to €800. Some teachers have objected to the additional responsibility. Green Party politician Sigi Maurer accused Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr of creating new conflicts and shifting them onto already strained teachers.

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Rather than protecting children, it singles out a specific religious practice and risks excluding the very children it claims to support.

The far-right Freedom Party says the measure does not go far enough and wants a broader ban covering headscarves and face coverings worn by students and teachers. Its lawmaker Ricarda Berger said there was “no place for political Islam in Austria, and certainly not in our schools”. Chancellor Christian Stocker has also called for a constitutional ban on political Islam. The Austrian law differs from France’s longstanding ban on conspicuous religious symbols in schools.

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no place for political Islam in Austria, and certainly not in our schools