European Islam

Muslims in Carinthia: 50 years part of society

Mecca is the center of the Islamic faith. The mosque in Spittal is also oriented towards it.(Bild: AFP/MArwan Naamani/Felix Justich)

Islam appears in the media almost exclusively in a negative context. While the general public believes it knows a lot about radical views and traditions, Muslim life is a mystery. Hardly anything is actually known about the Muslim citizens who have made their home here for decades.

When Austria was one of the first Western countries to officially recognize Islam in 1912 with the Islam Act, the head of state was still Emperor Franz Joseph. With the new borders after the First World War and the turmoil of the Second World War, there were only a few Muslim believers in Austria. The first groups only came to Carinthia in the 1970s.