Austria resolves to stop primary school girls wearing headscarves

THE Right-wing Austrian government has announced plans to ban girls from wearing headscarves in kindergarten and primary schools to combat what it sees as a threat to the country’s mainstream culture from some Muslims.

Austria took in more than 1 per cent of its population in asylum seekers during Europe’s migration crisis, an issue that helped the conservatives of Sebastian Kurz, the country’s chancellor, win an election last year by taking a hard line on immigration.

“Our goal is to confront any development of parallel societies in Austria,” Mr Kurz told ORF radio, using a term he and the far-right Freedom Party (FPO), the coalition partner, favour to describe what they see as a threat posed by some Muslims to mainstream culture. “Girls wearing a headscarf in kindergarten or primary school is of course part of that.”

If the plan became law it would apply to girls of up to around 10 years of age. Many Muslims believe their religion requires girls to wear a headscarf from puberty. Headscarves are rarely worn before then.

At a news conference yesterday with Heinz-christian Strache, the vicechancellor, Kurz said they believed there was a problem in schools though no figures were produced to support the claim.

“What I can tell you is that it is a growing phenomenon. A few decades ago we did not have this in Austria and now it occurs primarily in Islamic kindergartens but also here and there in public establishments of Vienna and other cities,” Kurz said. He added that a bill would be drawn up.

Austria’s main Muslim organisation was not available for comment.

The previous coalition of Social Democrats and Kurz’s conservatives passed a law banning face coverings including Muslim full-face veils in public spaces, but women and girls were free to wear regular hijabs. It considered banning teachers from wearing headscarves but the plan was dropped after a debate over religious symbols in schools, such as the Catholic crosses that hang on many classroom walls.

For a headscarf ban to come into force in kindergartens, which are run by Austria’s provinces, the government would need the support of either the Social Democrats or the liberal Neos party. While the Social Democrats said they wanted a broader package of measures, they did not rule out cooperation. The Neos said they would examine the government proposals.