Austria approves ban on hijabs in schools for girls under 14 years old

The Austrian parliament has overwhelmingly approved a bill to ban headscarves (hijabs) in schools for girls under 14. The decision, called a «historic milestone» by the government, was intended, they said, to protect young girls from oppression. However, it has drawn sharp criticism from the Islamic Religious Community of Austria (IGGÖ), which intends to challenge it in the Constitutional Court.

According to Euronews, the Austrian National Council passed the bill with the votes of the ruling parties — ÖVP, SPÖ, the liberal Neos, and the opposition FPÖ. The Greens opposed it, pointing to possible constitutional flaws in the draft. Minister for Family and Integration Claudia Plakolm of the ÖVP called the parliament’s decision a «historic step to protect young girls,» emphasizing that the headscarf is a «symbol of oppression» and no girl in Austria should grow up feeling that she has to cover her body.

The ban directly concerns «the headscarf covering the head in accordance with Islamic tradition,» as the text of the law puts it. It is due to come into force at the beginning of the 2026/27 school year. In case of non-compliance, measures are envisaged: first, the school administration will talk to the girl and her parents. If the headscarf is not removed, the parents must make an appointment with the relevant school authorities. As a final punishment, fines of between 150 and 800 euros can be imposed.

Austria’s Islamic religious community (IGGÖ) has sharply criticized the new ban, saying it stigmatizes children and undermines social cohesion. The organization has already announced its intention to appeal to the Constitutional Court, a repeat of the situation. A similar regulation introduced by the ÖVP-FPÖ government in 2019, which only applied to elementary school, was previously overturned by the Constitutional Court. At that time, the judges criticized the law for being limited to Muslim girls and not covering all religious head coverings. The current government justifies the new approach by the desire to prevent gender-based oppression, arguing that such a problem does not exist, for example, with the Jewish kippah or the Sikh patta.

Recall that in Nigeria, in Kogi State, on December 1, 2025, there was an armed attack on a Christian temple, as a result of which a priest, his wife and several parishioners were kidnapped. The authorities attributed responsibility for the attack to Islamist groups active in the region.