Whoever refuses, fine or jail! Austria bans headscarves for girls under 14

The ban on headscarves for girls under 14 in schools has already passed the preliminary vote in Austria. In the Austrian parliamentary Education Committee, the governing parties voted in favor, the conservative ÖVP, the Social Democrats, and the liberal NEOS. The right-wing nationalist FPÖ also voted in favor, while only the Greens opposed it.

Therefore, it seems that the ban will be approved in today’s full parliamentary vote.

In 2020, there was an initial attempt to ban headscarves. The then center-right governing coalition of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) and the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) voted for the ban, but the attempt failed at the Constitutional Court because the law at the time violated the principles of equal treatment and religious freedom.

The court ruled that the ban singled out a specific religion, namely Islam. The government at that time had not provided sufficient justification for its legislation. This time is different, according to Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr, who stated that constitutional concerns have been taken into account and that the decision will pass.

Fatma Akay-Türker is the chairwoman of the Muslim Women’s Association in Austria. She herself removed her headscarf and is against requiring girls and women to wear it. However, she believes a ban would be difficult for the girls themselves.

Families play a very large role in decisions, so the young girls would be the most affected, caught between politics and their community.

Schools plan to enforce the headscarf ban strictly in coordination with parents. In case of violation, there will first be a meeting. If parents still send their daughters to school with a headscarf, they could face fines between 150 and 800 euros or, alternatively, imprisonment for up to two weeks.

“KORÇA BOOM”