Austria to close 7 mosques and boot out imams

AUSTRIA’S right-wing government plans to shut seven mosques and could expel dozens of imams in what it said was “just the beginning” of a push against radical Islam and foreign funding of religious groups, which Turkey has condemned as racist.

The coalition government, an alliance of conservatives and the far right, came to power soon after Europe’s migration crisis, on promises to prevent another influx and restrict benefits for new immigrants and refugees.

The moves follow a “law on Islam”, passed in 2015, which banned foreign funding of religious groups and created a duty for Muslim organisations to have “a positive fundamental view towards (Austria’s) state and society”.

“Political Islam’s parallel societies and radicalising tendencies have no place in our country,” said Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who helped steer the Islam bill into law.

Standing next to him and two other cabinet members yesterday, far-right Vice-chancellor Heinzchristian Strache told a news conference: “This is just the beginning.”

Austria, with 8.8 million people, has about 600 000 Muslim inhabitants, most of whom are Turkish or have families of Turkish origin.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesperson said the new policy was part of an “Islamophobic, racist and discriminatory wave” in Austria. “The Austrian government’s ideologically charged practices are in violation of universal legal principles, social integration policies, minority rights and the ethics of co-existence,” Ibrahim Kalin tweeted.

The ministers said up to 60 imams belonging to the Turkish-islamic Union for Cultural and Social Cooperation in Austria (ATIB), a Muslim group close to the Turkish government, could be expelled or have visas denied because of receiving foreign funding.

A government handout put the number at 40, of whom 11 were under review and two had already received a negative ruling.

ATIB spokesperson Yasar Ersoy acknowledged that its imams were paid by Diyanet, the Turkish state religious authority, but was trying to change that. “We are working on having imams be paid from funds within the country.”

One organisation that runs a mosque in Vienna and is influenced by the “Grey Wolves”, a Turkish nationalist youth group, would be shut down for operating illegally, as would an Arab Muslim group that runs at least six mosques, the government said. – Reuters/african News Agency (ANA)