The Headscarf Debate

Minister vs. Influencer: “Man, I’m sick of this!”

Girls up to age 14 must remove their headscarves during class.(Bild: FOTOKERSCHI / MARKUS HAUSER)

More than 80 cases have been reported to the state school authorities: That’s the initial tally of the headscarf ban after two weeks in effect. Most of the cases—55, to be exact—were reported in Vienna. In Lower Austria, the first penalty has already been imposed on parents because their child did not remove her headscarf—and heated discussions continue online as well...

As of this school year, it is prohibited by law for a girl under the age of 14 to “cover her head in accordance with Islamic traditions” on school grounds. In the event of a violation, the homeroom teacher first asks the girl to remove her headscarf during a confidential one-on-one conversation. If that does not work, the principal’s office must be notified “immediately,” and it must inform the parents about the law and its purpose—to protect girls from social or religious pressure.

If the girl continues to come to school wearing a headscarf despite this, the case is referred to the Department of Education. In the event of further violations, the district administrative authority may impose fines of up to 800 euros, and may do so multiple times.

Fighting “Resistance”: Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr(Bild: Eva Manhart)

Before the law took effect, there were attempts to boycott the headscarf ban. The “Krone” reported on this. Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr confirmed the boycott attempts on “Ö1.” “There were efforts to organize resistance here, from the far left, but also in some cases from Muslim associations. Both must be rejected, because laws must be obeyed. However, this attempted organized resistance did not work.”

Most violations of the headscarf ban occurred in the east, where the school year began a week earlier. Specifically, the Vienna Education Authority has recorded 55 reported cases of violations so far, while around ten cases have been reported in Lower Austria. One case is known in Burgenland; none have been reported in Tyrol or Vorarlberg. The Styrian Department of Education reports seven known cases, and Salzburg reports five. In Upper Austria, while there are still some female students who continue to wear headscarves, a concrete overview of the situation is still lacking; the situation is similar in Carinthia.

The Chancellor Takes a Clear Stance
ÖVP Chancellor Christian Stocker also has strong words for those who oppose the policy. “If parents force their daughters to wear the headscarf, Austria is not the right country for them.”

While Youth Minister Bauer engages with influencers online, Chancellor Stocker is also speaking out clearly.(Bild: Krone-Collage/APA/Hans Klaus Techt/Kronen Zeitung/Imre Antal)

Minister vs. Influencers
Integration Minister Claudia Bauer, for whom the controversial ban is a prestige project, has been facing heavy criticism from the Muslim community for weeks. On her social media channels, this topic is now impossible to ignore. On Thursday, she responded to a video by the well-known Viennese influencer “Satansbratan,” who spoke out critically against the headscarf ban: “I don’t get it. There’s a headscarf ban in schools, but 12- and 13-year-old girls are allowed to walk around in miniskirts, crop tops, and full makeup.”

Here is Minister Claudia Bauer’s post:

Girls aren’t allowed to practice their religion, wear a headscarf, or “protect themselves out there”: “You see how all these people are lurking out there, how every man out there is calling after them,” says the influencer.

“Man! I’m really sick of this… Girls have to protect themselves with a piece of cloth? I really can’t stand hearing that anymore!” was the minister’s response. “It’s exactly these kinds of views that we can’t stand.”