Two districts in the lead

55 headscarf cases are now being referred to the authorities

In 55 cases so far, the parents of the affected girls must now attend a meeting at the Vienna Department of Education.(Bild: FOTOKERSCHI / MARKUS HAUSER)

Just two weeks after the start of the school year, 55 headscarf cases have already been referred to the Vienna Education Authority. Now the parents must appear before the authorities. If the headscarf remains on, the next level of escalation looms. Nearly half of the cases come from two districts.

The grace period is over: 55 cases have now been referred by Viennese schools to the Department of Education. This is where those female students end up whose discussions with teachers and school administrators have not led them to remove their headscarves. The first appointments begin at the end of this week, and a dedicated team from the educational services department will handle the cases. There will be no negotiation. The Education Department clarifies that the discussions are “explicitly not substantive policy debates.” Parents will once again be given a “very matter-of-fact” explanation of the legal situation—including possible consequences. The agency also anticipates a temporary plateau. A sudden, explosive increase is not currently expected.

After the Department, the district office is already waiting
Anyone who continues to insist on wearing a headscarf after that will be referred to the next level of authority. “Then it’s up to the district office,” says the Department of Education. At that stage, the process is no longer about educational discussions but rather administrative disciplinary proceedings.

The reasons are varied
What’s controversial, however, is who’s behind the resistance: the motives are “very complex.” There are also cases in which older girls, in particular, do not want to remove their headscarves themselves—even though their parents would like to persuade them to do so. The authorities therefore expressly caution against concluding that all cases involve radical households. Only the upcoming discussions will reveal what the actual motives are.

The List of Districts
The distribution across Vienna is particularly striking: 14 of the 55 cases come from Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus, and another 11 from Floridsdorf. This means that nearly half of all reported cases are concentrated in just two districts.
There are four cases each in Favoriten and Meidling, and three each in Ottakring and Liesing. In districts 1, 5, 6, 7, 9, 13, and 18, not a single case has been reported so far. The remaining districts have between one and two cases.

Penalties Are Next
One thing is certain, however: Anyone who continues to violate the ban after being warned by the school and the Education Department must expect a penalty. What started as a conversation will then become an official case.