Austria plans headscarf ban in kindergarten

Austria’s right- wing government announced plans yesterday to ban girls from wearing headscarves in kindergarten and primary schools to combat what it sees as a threat to Austrian 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 Chancellor Sebastian Kurz’s conservatives win an election last year by taking a hard antiimmigrant line.

“Our goal is to confront any development of parallel societies in Austria,” Kurz told ORF radio, using a term he and the far- right Freedom Party ( FPO), a 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 any such plan became law it would apply to girls of up to around the age of 10 years.

Many Muslims believe their religion requires girls to wear a headscarf from puberty. Headscarves are rarely worn before then.

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