Austria’s lower house of parliament yesterday passed a ban on Muslim headscarves in schools for girls under 14 despite uncertainty over whether the legislation will be ruled unconstitutional as a previous ban was five years ago.
The ban, proposed by the ruling coalition of three centrist parties, was also backed by the far-right Freedom Party, which was alone in calling for it to apply to school staff as well.
The only party to oppose the proposed ban was the smallest in parliament, the Greens, arguing it violates the constitution.
Rights groups have criticised the plan.
Amnesty International said it would ‘add to the current racist climate towards Muslims’.
The body that officially represents Austria’s Muslims has called it an infringement of fundamental rights.
“It (the headscarf) is not just an item of clothing. It serves, particularly with minors, to shield girls from the male gaze. It sexualises girls,” he said.
Austria’s Constitutional Court ruled in 2020 that a previous ban, which applied to under-10s in schools, was illegal because it discriminated against Muslims and the state has a duty to be religiously neutral.
Going against that principle requires special justification, it held.
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