Schools Ban Headscarves For Girls As Islam’s Bloody Teachings Spread

Austria began implementing a new ban on headscarves for young girls at schools as lawmakers grapple with the growing influence of Islam in the country. 

The ban, which prohibits girls 14 years old and younger from wearing headscarves at schools, went into effect on Monday as school started. Supporters of the proposal have argued that the intent is to establish a “clear commitment to gender equality.” Claudia Bauer, a top Austrian official and member of the conservative People’s Party, described the headscarf as “a sign of oppression and a means of controlling girls from the earliest childhood.”

While about just 8% of Austria’s population is Muslim, data indicates that around 35% of students at primary schools in Vienna, the country’s most populous city, are Muslim. 

The law passed last year after a similar effort was struck down by a court in 2020. The new law was made more broad. When violations occur, school officials must meet with the girl and her legal guardians. Repeated violations could lead to a $929 fine and notification of child protective services, according to the BBC. 

Yannick Shetty, a supporter of the ban and member of the liberal Neos party, said the proposal is “not a measure against a religion. It is a measure to protect the freedom of girls in this country.”

Others, like Ricarda Berger, a spokeswoman for the Freedom Party of Austria, want the ban to be extended. 

“There needs to be a general ban on headscarves in schools; political Islam has no place here,” she said. 

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a radical pro-Islam group based in Washington, D.C., claimed Austria’s law was “fascist.” 

“This fascist legislation is a step backward from religious rights in Europe and a transparently bigoted attack on the Austrian Muslim community. This also sets a dangerous precedent for religious minorities across Europe,” the group said. “We stand in solidarity with Austrian Muslims as they pursue legal challenges to this unjust and discriminatory policy.”

The debate over the growing presence of Islam has also raged across the United States in recent months, with the election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York and the selection of Abdul El-Sayed as the Democratic nominee for Senate in Michigan. 

Last week, New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul faced criticism for wearing a hijab during a speech at an Islamic center as the nation prepares to remember the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. 

While New York officials increasingly cater to Islam, Texas officials moved last week to require students to “identify the significance of September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks motivated by radical Islam.”

Students would also learn about the violent history surrounding Islam’s rise, including “Prophet Mohammed’s brutal military campaigns against Jewish and Christian tribes, the normalization of slavery, and the taking of female captives as harem slaves,” according to the document. Many of the Quran’s texts encourage violence against non-Muslims including commands to “kill the polytheists wherever you find them” and to target people who adhere to the Bible.