Austria’s New Headscarf Ban Sparks Muslim Backlash

Austria’s new school-year rules banning headscarves for girls under 14 have come into force, as pupils return to class.

The law prohibits “traditional Muslim” head coverings, including hijabs and burkas, in public and private schools across the country. It applies to students aged under 14.

Integration Minister Claudia Bauer, from the conservative People’s Party (ÖVP), said the headscarf is “a sign of oppression and a means of controlling girls from the earliest childhood”.

Opponents argue the measure risks driving anti-Muslim sentiment and may breach constitutional protections.

Coalition Government Sets Out Rationale

The ban was introduced by a conservative-led coalition of three centrist parties: the ÖVP, the Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the liberal Neos.

They said the policy is a “clear commitment to gender equality” and is intended to protect the rights of young girls.

Bauer and the government argue that the headscarf represents an unacceptable restriction on girls. Critics dispute the approach and say it targets a religious practice rather than addressing underlying concerns.

Islamic Community Opposes Ban

Carla Amina Baghajati, from the official Islamic Community in Austria (IGGÖ), told the BBC that the organisation “firmly opposes the ban”.

“We believe it unjustifiably restricts the fundamental right to freedom of religion and disproportionately affects Muslim girls,” she said.

She added that the law “singles out a specific religious practice” and could exclude children the government says it wants to protect.

The IGGÖ said it would support legal challenges brought by girls and their families “who believe that their fundamental rights are being infringed”. It said those cases would seek review by Austria’s Constitutional Court.

The court struck down an earlier headscarf ban in primary schools in 2020, saying it contravened Austria’s principle of religious neutrality.

Enforcement Involves Talks With Families

Teachers are expected to enforce the new ban if they see a child wearing a headscarf. The approach involves holding a series of talks with the student and their legal guardians.

Some teachers have expressed concern about being required to implement the policy in schools.

The Green Party’s Sigi Maurer accused Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr, of the liberal NEOS, of “creating new conflicts and offloading them onto the teachers”.

She said teachers were “already under enormous strain” and that Wiederkehr wanted to “foist the role of police officers onto them” on top of their existing duties.

Far-Right Pushes For Wider Prohibition

The opposition far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) said the current ban does not go far enough. It is calling for a general prohibition on headscarves and face coverings in schools for both students and teachers.

Ricarda Berger, of the FPÖ, said there was “no place for political Islam in Austria, and certainly not in our schools”.

Christian Stocker, Austria’s chancellor and leader of the ÖVP, has also called for a constitutional ban on political Islam. In comments to Austrian broadcaster ORF, he said he did not “want to live in an Islamic state”.

Comparison With France And Existing Veil Rules

Austria’s law differs from legislation in France, where schools have barred the wearing of conspicuous religious symbols, including headscarves, turbans and kippas, for more than 20 years.

Austria, alongside countries including France, Belgium and Denmark, already bans full-face veils in public, including niqabs or burkas.

Baghajati said the IGGÖ was concerned about “a troubling trend” across Europe in which complex social challenges are reduced to symbolic measures aimed at minority groups. She said such approaches may attract political attention but “rarely solve the underlying problems”.

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8 September 2026