\u201cNo one can force me to wear a headscarf, and no one can force me to take it off,\u201d says student
\n VIENNA
\nA headscarf ban for girls under 14 in Austrian schools has stirred unease, anger and fears of further targeting of Muslims in the EU member state.
\nAustrian lawmakers in December approved the measure, which is set to take effect from the new school year in September.
\nWith anti-immigration sentiment running high, the conservative-led government argues the law is aimed at protecting girls from \u201coppression\u201d.
\nBut rights groups and experts say it is discriminatory, risks deepening social division and is likely unconstitutional.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s my decision… No one can force me to wear a headscarf, and no one can force me to take it off,\u201d a 12-year-old student told AFP at a protest against the ban in Vienna last month, declining to give her name.<\/p>\n
\u2018Legal consequences\u2019
\nThe government estimates around 12,000 girls would be affected by the new law, but this projection has been questioned as too high.
\nRoughly 8% of Austria\u2019s nine million residents are Muslim, according to 2021 government statistics.
\nThe education ministry sent out information to all schools several weeks ago on how to enforce the new law.
\nIt contains illustrations of different Islamic head coverings.
\n\u201cEvery teacher who observes a violation must instruct the student to remove her headscarf. If she does not immediately comply, the teacher must report the violation to the school administration without delay,\u201d the instructions state.
\n\u201cThe school administration must immediately hold a meeting with the student and her legal guardians.\u201d
\nFor repeated non-compliance, parents can face fines ranging from 150 to 800 euros ($175 to $930).
\nFailure to report those in violation of the law could also have \u201clegal consequences\u201d for teachers and school managements, the instructions warn.
\nOne Vienna schoolteacher, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP she was not planning to enforce the law.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s a populist measure\u201d that fails to address \u201cthe real problem when parents of any religion use violence or psychological violence against children,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u2018Deeply rooted racism\u2019
\nLast month, hundreds gathered at a central Vienna square to protest the ban before marching to the chancellery.
\nMalika Mataeva, co-founder of the Muslim Women Network, decried \u201cyears of systematic, deeply rooted racism in Austria.\u201d
\n\u201cIt\u2019s simply another step that makes us say, \u2018Enough is enough,\u2019\u201d she told AFP, adding \u201cguaranteed freedoms\u201d were not being respected.
\nAustria has long drawn immigrants, as well as asylum seekers fleeing conflict. But anti-immigration sentiment is strong. In the 2024 elections, the far-right Freedom Party won for the first time even though it failed to form a government.
\nMuslims in Austria suffered the highest rates of racism and discrimination in the EU, according to a 2024 report by Europe\u2019s FRA rights agency.<\/p>\n
Past ban struck down
\nThe IGGOe, the body which officially represents the country\u2019s Muslim communities, is set to challenge the ban in court.
\nAustria introduced a similar ban on headscarves in primary schools in 2019, but the constitutional court struck it down.
\n\u201cIt is clear that we consider this law… to be unconstitutional in Austria, given its focus on a specific religious item of clothing,\u201d the Ombud for Equal Treatment told AFP.
\nAt the Vienna protest, an 11-year-old, who only gave her name as Hadiya, said she is the only student in her class of 27 who wears a headscarf.
\n\u201cI\u2019m angry…. I find it (the ban) is without reason,\u201d she said.
\nA mother of two girls, aged 11 and 13, also said the ban has weighed heavily on her family, with her daughters not wanting to take off their headscarves.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s supposed to be for their protection, but they\u2019ve been suffering for months now and are worried about what to do,\u201d she told AFP at the protest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cNo one can force me to wear a headscarf, and no one can force me to take it off,\u201d says student VIENNA A headscarf ban for girls under 14 in Austrian schools has stirred unease, anger and fears of further targeting of Muslims in the EU member state. Austrian lawmakers in December approved the measure, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":538669,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-538657","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n