As the new school year begins in Austria, a law banning headscarves in schools for girls under 14 has gone into force.
The regulation forbids "traditional Muslim" head coverings such as hijabs or burkas in both public and private schools across the country.
Integration Minister Claudia Bauer, from the conservative People's Party (ÖVP), described the headscarf as "a sign of oppression and a means of controlling girls from the earliest childhood".
Critics argue the ban fuels anti‑Muslim sentiment and may be unconstitutional, raising concerns about freedom of religion and minority rights.
The law was introduced by a coalition of three centrist parties – the ÖVP, the Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the liberal Neos – who claim it demonstrates a clear commitment to gender equality and aims to protect young girls.
Carla Amina Baghajati of the official Islamic Community in Austria (IGGÖ) said the organization "firmly opposes the ban" and noted it "unjustifiably restricts the fundamental right to freedom of religion" while disproportionately affecting Muslim girls.
She added that the ban "singles out a specific religious practice and risks excluding the very children it claims to support".
The IGGÖ has pledged to support legal challenges by girls and families who believe their rights are infringed, aiming to take cases to the Constitutional Court.
The Court had previously struck down a headscarf ban in 2020, declaring it violated Austria's principle of religious neutrality.
Teachers are expected to enforce the ban by initiating a series of talks with students and their guardians if they witness a child wearing a headscarf. Repeated violations may lead to child‑services notification, and as a last resort, guardians could face fines up to €800 (≈£685).
Some teachers have expressed concerns about the additional enforcement burden, with Green Party’s Sigi Maurer accusing Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr of "creating new conflicts and offloading them onto teachers" and pressing them into a quasi‑policing role.
The far‑right Freedom Party (FPÖ) argues that the current ban does not go far enough, calling for a general prohibition on headscarves and face coverings for both students and teachers. FPÖ’s Ricarda Berger stated "there is no place for political Islam in Austria, and certainly not in our schools".
Austria’s Chancellor Christian Stocker recently advocated for a constitutional ban on political Islam, stating he "does not want to live in an Islamic state" during an interview with the public broadcaster ORF.
France has enforced a ban on conspicuous religious symbols in schools for over 20 years, and Austria’s legislation is similar but specifically targets Muslim head coverings, unlike France’s broader approach. Austria, like France, Belgium and Denmark, also prohibits full‑face veils such as niqabs or burkas in public.
Baghajati expressed concern about the "troubling trend" across Europe where complex social challenges are reduced to symbolic measures aimed at minority groups. "Such approaches may generate political attention, but they rarely solve the underlying problems," she said.
