You are here
Austria bans headscarves in primary schools
17-5-2019
The Austrian Parliament on May 15 passed a law submitted by the governing center-right coalition, banning headscarves in primary schools. The new measure was faced with criticism from leftist parties and Islamic organizations, who accused the government of trying to make headlines instead of promoting the wellbeing and education of children. To avoid the impression that the government targets Muslims specifically, the text of the law referred to ‘any ideologically or religiously influenced attire’ without mentioning the hijab. The two main parties in the coalition, the far right People’s Party and the Freedom Party, plainly declared that the Islamic hijab was the target of the law, noting that the government has maintained that the Jewish yarmulke or the Sikh patka will not be affected by the ban. Austria’s Muslim community organization, IGGO, described the draft bill as “demeaning” and a “tactic to divert attention”, stressing that it is intended for a limited number of female students. (Al Diyar, May 17, 2019)
- 2 reads
- العربية
Categories
Events
No upcoming events
Job vacancies
Friday, October 9, 2015
Collective for Research and Training on Development - Action (CRTD.A)