TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Austria's incoming government is drafting legislation to ban girls under 14 from wearing headscarves, according to a coalition agreement reached by three centrist parties on Thursday.
- World news -The conservative Austrian People's Party (VP), the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SP), and the liberal NEOS finalized a deal that ends months of political uncertainty following the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FP)'s victory in September's elections.
The coalition's programme, unveiled in Vienna, outlines several measures on asylum and integration. The influx of relatives of asylum seekers is to be halted "temporarily with immediate effect." Rejected asylum seekers will be housed in separate return procedure centres to prevent them from absconding. The programme states that humane accommodation will be ensured, considering children's needs.
In 2019, Austrian lawmakers approved a ban on headscarves in primary schools, a move championed by the then-ruling right-wing coalition of the VP and FP. The legislation applied to "ideologically or religiously influenced clothing" covering the head, though government officials specified it targeted the Islamic headscarf.
Austria's official Muslim community organisation, IGG, condemned the ban as a "direct assault on religious freedom" and vowed to challenge it in court. Critics, including NEOS member Irmgard Griss, warned the policy could stigmatize girls and lacked evidence that headscarves hinder learning.
Former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who led the VP-FP coalition, previously championed restrictions on Islamic attire. His government introduced a full-face veil ban in 2017 as part of an "integration" policy, though it faced criticism after police primarily enforced it against smog masks, ski gear, and costumes.
