The hijab ban in Austrian schools faces objections as it begins to be implemented

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The ban on the hijab for female students under the age of fourteen since the beginning of the school year in Austria has sparked protests in the streets and inside classrooms, as dozens of them refuse to comply with it.

The law, which entered into force on September 1 and was approved by the conservative-led government, aims to "promote gender equality and protect Muslim girls from discrimination and persecution."

In contrast, critics of the law argue that it disproportionately targets Muslims, violates freedom of religious belief, and forces young girls to wear clothing in which they do not feel comfortable.

The Ministry of Education reported that school authorities across the country have conducted 127 interviews with parents and submitted 52 reports regarding possible violations of the law since the start of the school year.

On the other hand, opponents of the law organized demonstrations in several cities across the country.

During one of the demonstrations in Vienna, Zahra (37 years old), who preferred not to mention her surname, said that her two daughters, aged nine and 13, felt “sad and angry” about the ban.

She added, "We raise our children and tell them: You can decide who you want to be, and this law completely contradicts that."

Sandy (12 years old) says, “I attach great importance to the religion I embrace and I want to be able to practice it,” adding that she decided to wear the hijab about a year ago.

As for her friend Siham, who is also 12 years old, she said that she felt “fear” at the idea of ​​taking off her hijab. She said, “I have been wearing it for two years and it has become a part of me.”

After discussions with the school administration, she was eventually allowed to wear a head covering, but she still prefers to wear the hijab, she said.

Muslims constitute about 8% of Austria's nine million population, according to government statistics dating back to the year 2021. According to a report published by the European Union's Fundamental Rights Agency in 2024, Austria records the highest rates of racism and discrimination against Muslims in the European Union.

In the 2024 legislative elections, the far-right Austrian Freedom Party topped the results for the first time, but failed to form a government.

A previous attempt to ban the hijab in schools was led by a coalition government of conservatives and the Austrian Freedom Party in 2019. It was rejected a year later by the Constitutional Court, which considered that the ban was discriminatory.

The Islamic Religious Authority in Austria, which is supporting an appeal against the new ban, reported that it had received about 70 reports from families regarding the difficulties they face in implementing it.

The organization said in a statement, “A law presented as protecting children’s psychological and physical safety puts these children in particular under pressure in schools.”

The Constitutional Court confirmed to Agence France-Presse that it had received an appeal against the law, and that it would issue its ruling in the first half of 2027.

If a student refuses to comply with the law, the school administration must interview her and her parents before referring the file to the educational authorities. Parents who insist on non-compliance face a fine.

Education Minister Christoph Wiederker said, in a statement received by Agence France-Presse, that the limited number of interviews so far to 127 indicates that “the vast majority of students and their parents are cooperating.”

He added, "The numbers also show that discussions with the parents of the female students concerned, in cases of violation of the law, most often lead to positive results."

But school authorities in Vienna, where most of the violations were recorded, offer a different assessment of the students’ motivations, saying that “the discussions held so far show (...) that the girls want to wear the veil of their own free will.”

A teacher who accompanied two concerned students in Vienna confirmed to Agence France-Presse that he did not notice any indication that they were being forced to wear the hijab. He regretted that they had to spend weeks trying to adapt to the ban or searching for acceptable alternatives to the hijab.

“This causes them great discomfort,” he said.