Austria Unbans Wearing Hijab

Staff Desk

December 12, 2020

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The ban of 2019 targetted Muslim girls in primary schools violating equality, the right to freedom of thought, and religion. As said by The head of constitutional Court, Christoph Grabenwarter.

It has been ruled by a court in Austria that banning headscarves in primary schools is unconstitutional and annulled the decision which was taken in 2019 by the far-right government.

Banning violated equality, right to freedom of thought, worldview, and religion as stated by the head of Constitutional Court Christoph Grabenwarter.

Only the Muslim students were being targeted by the law and it also caused discrimination in the education system as stated by Grabenwarter.

He further added that the law risk limiting the educational opportunities for the Female Muslim students and which may cause them to be rejected from society.

Sikh and Jews were exempted from ban.

After the ban was ordered, the patka head covering by Sikh boys or the Jewish yarmulke will not be affected as said by the government of Austria.

In 2017, there were approximately 700,000 Muslims living in Austria. And roughly 8 percent of the population. It is an outgrowth of many Turks who arrived in Austria to work in the 1960s and 1970s and they stayed on further.

The bill banning the headscarves in primary schools was accepted by Chancellor Sebastian Kurz’s conservatives and the far-right Freedom Party which are the two Lawmakers and ruling parties from Austria.

Govt justifications not objective.

The banning of Muslim religious clothing like headscarves in the education system could cause stigmatization of the group in society as stated by Grabenwarter.

He further added that the ban does not comply with the principle of impartiality of the constitution. The justifications added by the government that enacted the law were not objective.