Austria bans students from wearing burqas

Austrian government approves bill banning wearing of Islamic head covering in public by students.

Arutz Sheva Staff ,

Burqas banned in Austria
Burqas banned in Austria

The Austrian government approved a bill that stated that primary school pupils in the country would not be able to wear the traditional Muslim headscarf - the burqa.

The bill was submitted to the government by the right-wing parties, the People's Party and the Freedom Party.

The wording of the law does not explicitly refer to Muslim women, but notes that it is forbidden to wear "any head cover that is influenced by ideology or religion."

The bill excludes the kippah worn by Jewish men and the head covering worn by the Sikhs. Vandeline Molzer, spokesman for the Austrian Freedom Party, said: "This is a message against political Islam."

In recent months, Austria has passed a number of laws limiting the wearing of headscarves in public places in the country in an attempt to overcome the lack of integration by Muslim immigrants in Austria. The Austrian government has already passed a law banning the wearing of face coverings in public places, including courts, high schools and other public institutions.

The Muslim community in Austria has already announced that it will appeal the new law to the local court. Austrian politicians from the opposition also criticized the law and claimed it was ineffective.

"This is not an effective ban, because after school the Muslim students will wear their headscarves again," said Sonia Hammarschmidt, the former Austrian education minister.