In Austria, wearing Islamic headscarves in schools banned for girls under 14

Girls in hijabs. Photo: ChanFactory/Pixabay.com

The Austrian Parliament has approved a new law banning the wearing of Islamic headscarves by girls under the age of 14. The government called this measure an attempt to protect underage girls, reports the website voria.gr.

According to local media reports, the law was passed by an overwhelming majority, with the sole exception of the "Green" party, which claimed it contradicts the Constitution.

This is not the first attempt to restrict the wearing of hijabs: a similar ban from 2019 was overturned by the Constitutional Court due to its alleged "religious targeting".

The government explains that the new provision complies with the Basic Law and is aimed at protecting minors. Integration Minister Claudia Plakholm emphasized that covering young girls "for protection from the male gaze" is not a religious tradition but a form of oppression.

The ban covers all types of Islamic headscarves and will be fully enforced from September. A transition period without sanctions will begin in February, after which parents of violators may be fined between 150 and 800 euros.

According to government estimates, the measure will affect about 12,000 girls and adolescents; as of 2020, approximately 3,000 schoolgirls under the age of 14 regularly wore a headscarf.

As reported by the UOJ, earlier, Integration Minister Claudia Plakholm stated that since 2019, when a similar ban was overturned by the Constitutional Court, the number of girls experiencing pressure to wear a headscarf has increased almost fourfold. Now the influence comes not only from the family but also from radical preachers and popular bloggers on social media.

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