Austria’s new ban on headscarves for girls under the age of 14 is facing its first major test as schools reopen in Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland.
The legislation applies to schools and was introduced by Austria’s three-party centrist coalition, which says the measure is intended to protect girls’ freedom. Parliament approved the law in December with support from the far-right Freedom Party, while the Greens were the only parliamentary party to oppose it.
Austria’s main Muslim organisation, the Islamic Religious Community in Austria, has called the measure discriminatory and plans to challenge it before the Constitutional Court. The court had rejected earlier challenges in July because the new law had not yet taken effect, while it had struck down an earlier headscarf ban in 2020.
Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr said the outcome of the latest legal challenge could not be predicted.
“You can never be completely certain,” Wiederkehr said.
He added, “We in the government carried out very intensive consultations and we in the education ministry tried very hard to write a law that complies with the constitution.”
Under the new rules, schools must first discuss the issue with pupils who continue wearing headscarves. Authorities can then impose fines ranging from €150 to €800.
