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🇦🇹 Austria /Elections & Politics

‘Invisible girls’ and child welfare on ZiB 2: Bauer defends headscarf ban

From Die Presse · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Approved/passed
  • Austrian Integration Minister Claudia Bauer defended a ban on Islamic headscarves for girls under 14 as a child-welfare measure during an interview on ZiB 2.
  • Interviewer Armin Wolf questioned why the ban should apply to Islamic headscarves but not other religious practices, and pointed to what he called a contradiction in the government’s approach to children’s welfare and education.
  • Bauer said girls should be able to decide more consciously whether to wear a headscarf, while Wolf challenged her claim that headscarves make girls “invisible.”

The child-welfare argument behind Austria’s new school headscarf ban came under sustained pressure on Wednesday night. On ZiB 2, Integration Minister Claudia Bauer defended the measure while interviewer Armin Wolf repeatedly asked why the government was singling out the Islamic headscarf.

The ban, which took effect on Tuesday, applies to girls under 14. Bauer said the policy would give girls more room to decide later whether they wanted to wear a headscarf. She argued that the garment could have an “immense influence” on children’s development, citing conversations with psychologists.

As soon as a girl wears a headscarf, she becomes invisible.

· Claudia BauerThe Austrian integration minister argued that headscarves can cause girls to withdraw from classroom life.

Bauer said girls in some communities are taught to feel ashamed of their bodies and may withdraw during lessons. She described the result in stark terms: “As soon as a girl wears a headscarf, she becomes invisible.” Wolf, who said he spends a great deal of time in schools, replied that he had not noticed girls with headscarves becoming invisible.

No matter how orthodox or fundamentalist.

· Armin WolfWolf described the range of religious upbringing parents may choose for their children in Austria.

Wolf also questioned why Austrian parents may raise their children in any religious tradition, “no matter how orthodox or fundamentalist,” and may even consent to circumcision, which he called a serious physical intervention, while girls under 14 may no longer wear an Islamic headscarf. Bauer said that, as youth minister, she considered child welfare more important than parents’ right to provide religious upbringing.

Wolf then raised a broader education issue: social inequality remains strongly inherited in Austria. Experts say comprehensive all-day schools and delaying the separation of children into different educational paths beyond age 10 could particularly help children from migrant backgrounds. The ÖVP has opposed both measures for years, he said. Bauer responded that the government wanted parents to retain responsibility for decisions affecting their children. Wolf called this an “interesting contradiction”: child welfare justified state intervention over the headscarf, but not over educational inequality. Bauer pointed instead to what she described as a fundamentally very good school system.

An interesting contradiction.

· Armin WolfWolf challenged Bauer over the government’s different approaches to child welfare, religious dress, and educational inequality.
About this summary

Originally published by Die Presse in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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