IGGÖ President warns:

Muslims now feel even more marginalized

The IGGÖ also let it be known that it is available for dialog at any time.(Bild: winterbilder - stock.adobe.com)

Following the great uproar surrounding a posting by the ÖVP about coexistence with Muslims in Austria, the President of the Islamic Religious Community (IGGÖ) Ümit Vural has now spoken out: The current developments are being perceived with growing concern among the Muslim population, he said.

"Did you know that two thirds find living together with Muslims difficult?" was the message in a post that the People's Party recently shared with its followers on Instagram. Red Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer apologized for the post, and the reaction from the Pinks and Greens was similar. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) took a different view and referred to the results of a "scientific study". He argued that it is a "fact" that there are "always discussions" in the coexistence between Austrians and the Muslim population.

The current political communication as well as the legislative debates on integration issues and the headscarf ban for schoolgirls up to the age of 14 would burden many Muslims in the Alpine republic, the President of the IGGÖ now warns in an open letter to the federal government.

Here is the controversial post:

Impression of sweeping attributions
Vural also addressed the latest results of the integration barometer, in which Muslims are judged particularly negatively in the public perception. These reflect "subjective attitudes", but not objective integration achievements or actual coexistence in everyday life, he warned: "If such data is communicated without sufficient differentiation or politically exaggerated, the impression of blanket attributions is created." This would only make many Muslims feel even more stigmatized and excluded.

In this context, the IGGÖ President also expressly pointed out that sweeping portrayals of members of a legally recognized religious community neither serve social cohesion nor are they compatible with constitutional principles of equal treatment and religious freedom. "A democratic society thrives on differentiation, moderation and mutual respect."