Study on Muslims

One in ten think executions are justified

The poorer the knowledge of German, the more problematic the attitude towards values and the rule of law.(Bild: Urbantschitsch Mario)

The new annual report from the Documentation Center for Political Islam is explosive: a study of Muslims from the greater Vienna area shows that poor knowledge of German goes hand in hand with problematic attitudes towards the rule of law. But even one in ten people with a good knowledge of German consider executions for "deviant religious behavior" to be appropriate. 

On Friday afternoon, things got a little louder, at least briefly, in front of the Federal Chancellery: Muslims gathered at a rally against the government's planned ban on headscarves in order to stir up opposition. Numerous Islamist influencers are also reportedly calling for the ban to be ignored on social networks.

"Islamist actors are instrumentalizing political measures to fuel polarization in society," the Documentation Centre for Political Islam has already stated. However, the same organization is also alarmed by a new study. 

"Justifiable violence" welcomed
Specifically, surveys on African Muslims in Vienna in the 2024 annual report revealed that poor knowledge of German among Muslims also makes attitudes towards the rule of law, equality and pluralism in society increasingly problematic. As German language skills decline, intolerance, support for religiously motivated violence and rejection of equal rights increase significantly.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/stock.adobe.com)

The results show, for example: Among respondents with poor or no knowledge of German, 34.1 percent advocate religiously justified violence, such as beatings and executions (see chart). However, more than one in ten respondents with a good knowledge of German are also in favor of executions for deviant religious behavior.

The Ministry of Integration has also been warned by the results. "We can see very clearly that learning German also teaches values to a certain extent. In future, the following will apply: German, work, values. And anyone who doesn't want to live our values has no place in Austria. Austria is a Christian country in which free, Western values apply - and it should stay that way," explains ÖVP Minister Claudia Plakolm.