Since 1 September, Austria has banned headscarves for female pupils under 14 at state and private schools. Repeated breaches of the rule could lead to fines of €150 to €800 for parents.
Since the start of the 2026/27 school year on 1 September, female pupils in Austria under the age of 14 have been prohibited from wearing any headscarf at school that “covers the head in line with Islamic traditions.”
Teachers’ representatives say the new rule has generally been implemented calmly and respectfully. At the same time, some schools have reported conflicts and, in some cases, aggressive reactions.
The new law was already controversial before it came into force, with critics questioning whether it was compatible with freedom of religion and the principle of equality.
Watch the average Liberal agree with far right parties because they are racist again.
As a non Muslim who was born and lived in a Muslim majority country, I 100% agree with this ban. Children shouldn’t be forced or indoctrinated into that oppressive way of life. When they grow up, they can wear it if they want.
There are millions, possibly hundreds of millions of women and girls around the world that are forced to wear that (or even more extreme versions of it) against their will. Just because we have some anecdotes of women wanting to wear it (after being brainwashed their whole lives with it) doesn’t mean that banning it would infringe on anyone’s rights.
Believe me there are entire countries where if you as a woman went there you would be forced to cover up 😢.
Then again should we be policing how women dress in an open and free society? Because, you know, that’s what Muslim countries do, so maybe if you don’t like Muslims then don’t emulate them?
Ideally we shouldn’t, but practically we must, only to prevent religious oppression and abuse, and the spread of such things.
“You can’t wear those clothes here!! This an open and free society! Here in Austria we follow The One True Dresscode.”
If the ban is intended to stop children from feeling pressured to dress in a way that conforms to their family’s religion, why does it only target islam and not extend to other religious garments or accessories (e.g. kippah, turban, crucifix)?
Because headscarves are the most oppressive, by far. None of the other things cover you up that much and prohibit you from expressing yourself. Also, how many Christan parents force their kids to wear a crucifix? Barely any, so no debate necessary.
so no debate necessary.
People only say stuff like this when they have a weak argument that won’t stand up to scrutiny. What about a trans kid with Christian parents, do you think they’re allowed to dress how they want? Do you think they’re also facing oppression even if it isn’t so readily apparent? Other religions also dictate how you’re supposed to dress, how to cut your hair, and how you can express yourself so they should all be included too.
If this rule change isn’t going to affect that many kids because their parents dont force them to wear religious attire, then it should be a no-brainer to include them too since there would be little pushback.
The government says the main goal is to protect children’s development and their freedom to develop as individuals, arguing that girls should be protected from potential family or social pressure to wear a headscarf.
If that is really the objective, then make domestic religious coercion liable to incur fines and institute mechanisms for kids to safely report coercion and for protecting and defending the choices of girls. You force your daughter to wear something against her will? She reports it to a safe adult at school and you get a visit from child services. The same mechanisms of course should be in place for protecting kids from bullying, domestic violence, atheist kids, queer and trans kids, kids whose parents are far right extremists, kids who support a different football team than their dads, metalhead kids, etc. Protecting kids is uncontroversial.
Obviously in terms of freedom of religion, no child should be part of religious institutions.
However in terms of public safety there are much easier ways to hide the child your kidnapping.
How is this even a debate? Everyone should agree that they should be banned. But for some reason, when it is religiously motivated, it suddenly is fine to force woman to veil themselves? Imagine the utter outrage of the Left when the Right would force women to wear hijabs. Why tf is it okay when one side does it, but not okay when the other does it? It’s pure hypocrisy.
Honestly, we should bring back headscarves (and hats, while we’re here) as a fashionable accessory.
That’d nip this in the bud.
And the fun shenaniganery that goes with hats! Only straw hats in summer, but so help you god if you’re seen wearing a straw hat after labor day.
The absolute slander against traditional hats and scarves has got to stop!
It’s not getting cooler and we wore them for a reason.
I’m still pretty flummoxed about what to do with them indoors though. But I can see a hat holster taking off, like those people that wear big ass phones on their belts. Or, the way things are going, just hang hats on your gun holster lol
You know theres also the solution of just making sure theyre not forced to wear it. The problem is not a fucking piece of clothing but systematic oppression. The west happily does systematic oppression so long as it doesnt look bad. The only difference in other places is that it looks bad from the outside. You shouldnt change the looks of it but what actually happens. And on top of that, if you have a child in a school that is visibly distressed because theyre forced to wear something thats a sign of something not being right. If the government bans it youre removing a sign of abuse. Its like making having bruses illegal in public, youre not solving abuse just making everybodys life randomly a bit worse and hiding the signs of some abuse. Stupid ass law
“You know theres also the solution of just making sure theyre not forced to wear it.” Just honest curiosity, but how? This sounds really difficult in any case, let alone with young children.
I mean our whole social system is based on that. Teachers, doctors, coaches, etc already have the job of being the substitute parents or friends of children so this is just the extension of that existing job. The actual role of school, especially middle and high school, isnt really about shoving a shit ton of bullshit down the throats of kids but to expand their worldview, train their social skills, and yes, notice and report abuse when necessary. Forcing a child to wear a certian religious garment is abuse. But the child participating in it willingly shouldnt be illegal, i think thats ridiculous. I know there are a lot of reddit atheists here on lemmy but the same way any other choice is someones, religion should be too. Of course organized religion used to spread hate is different but as someone who lives in a city in sweden where religion is something that helps organize community rather than something that is used to spread hate, makes me think theres a world where everyone can believe in whataver they believe.
If not for religion, banning a scarf would be universally seen as inane.
Update: I somehow misunderstood ‘inane’ as ‘mundane’. So ignore my comment.
IDK… I think banning a regular scarf, without religious meaning is weird. There may be any reasons for wearing them. Cold weather, covering up something that might look bad, or just because it looks cool.Banning shoes indoors or on carpets because of dirt, fine, but otherwise, its like reverse indecency laws…I think that’s the point he’s trying to make
Ban religions on kids. Best law.
Well, they are the ones who carry the religion forward.
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Because wearing these hurts… checks notes… Oh right, no one.
Nope.
If hijabs are worn for the purpose of “hiding women/girls so they do not get raped” this does several things that hurt:First of all, it oppresses women in their freedom of expression. They learn that it is bad to show themselves and accept their bodies as they are: a natural and normal thing. Furthermore it makes women responsible for the actions of sexual offenders.
Following from the latter, it eases the responsibility on the education of young men, who should absolutely have to learn how to deal with their urges in a healthy manner and that it absolutely not acceptable to rape or molest women.
This also leads to a subordination of women below men. Which, as we should know nowadays, is backwards and detrimental
Then, this can also worsen the independence and confidence of women and lead to several mental health problems due to suppression of their natural physiological development. This does not need to be just the demonization of sexuality itself, but also loads their self image and body with shame, which is absolutely backwards, since… well human bodies are a natural and normal thing and it is totally okay to have one… obviously.
It is already bad enough how we, as a society, judge people by their appearance. No need to worsen this by also feeding into severe complexes by letting girls getting forced into having to hide themselves.
So yes: this does hurt on several levels.
Yep
What if a woman chooses to wear a hijab?
Are you not then hindering their freedom of expression?
Should turbans and yamakas be banned too?
Should circumcision, a permanent elective surgery, also be banned because it infringes on (often an infant’s) bodily autonomy?
You speak as if these is an irrefutable moral basis to this when the reality is it’s based almost entirely on cultural biases.
Freedom of expression means that you don’t get to choose for others, especially when it comes to their bodily autonomy.
Ironically, this is patriarchal, authoritarian and ultimately antithetical to Western values.
What if a woman chooses to wear a hijab?
How many women do you know that are age 14 and under?
Are you suggesting that a 14 year old can’t make that choice?
If they want to ban all headwear that’s their choice but religious considerations are consitutionally protected in most Western liberal democracies and if, arbitrarily, turbans, yamakas etc. are allowed but not hijabs specifically, then this is a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Nope. That’s young enough that it’s far too easy for abusive religious parents to indoctrinate the child.
So I presume you’re in support of an authoritarian ban on all religious headwear since that’s the only logically consistent stance. I presume you’re also against circumcision since it’s a religiously/culturally rooted practice that imparts a permanent surgical alteration to an infant’s body long before they are of age to consent, a choice made on behalf of the child due to their parent’s religous/cultural indoctrination.
Only if you’re in support of each potential iteration is your position internally consistent. It’s a bit authoritarian and incompatible with Western values for my tastes but to each their own.
As a man, I’ve seen other men going around without shirts this summer. I wouldn’t appreciate a law that insisted I had to go around without my shirt too.
Different people have different ideas of what modesty means. It isn’t, or at least shouldn’t be, the law’s job to force us all to be the same.
Iran has imprisoned women for NOT wearing headscarves. This is the same thing, just enforcing different cultural norms. Neither is very free.
Do you seriously believe women getting murdered by religious zealots, or best case, only sentenced to lashes 74 hits because she didn’t hide her face, is morally equivalent to forbidding parents from forcing their child to participate in this practice?
First of all, it oppresses women in their freedom of expression.
Do you think it’s possible that some women actually choose to wear the Hijab? I’m Muslim and most women in my family don’t wear Hijab, but the ones that do really strongly believe in it. There’s zero men in my family that have asked any of their daughters or wives to wear Hijab.
This also leads to a subordination of women below men.
Tell me you’ve never hung out with Hijabis in the West without telling me you’ve never hung out with Hijabis.
It seems like you’re a Western Chauvinist who hasn’t really done any of the work to understand the nuances of the Hijab from a woman’s perspective. Not all women are forced into wearing the Hijab. By forcing young women to not wear it, you’re limiting their self expression. I don’t understand why the government should be involved in this decision which is very personal.
My brother had to call CPS just this Friday on his neighbor because he thought it’s okay to beat her 17yo daughter in the street for forgetting to wear a hijab. The neighbor was even born in US, him/his wife has hung out with us in the past. She used to speak a very similar tune about hijab like it’s my choice and I believe in it and it gives me strength and all the indoctrinated crap that few years ago, I too thought was women empowerment of some kind.
Where was she protecting her daughter? Nowhere, instead she left a bag of shit at my brother’s front door last night in front of the doorbell camera.
While I also have independent women that have chosen to wear hijab in theirs 30s in my life, I’m leaning towards this whole concept is fucked. I don’t see where you draw the line between, it’s my choice that’s why I do it vs I might get murdered by my brother if I don’t do it. How many women live in this fear. I also worked in immigration law clinic in UK for a few months. I have also met a woman, who was refugee and that had no male relatives with her, be scared of removing hijab on the fear of retaliation from community she will desperately need support from before she can be legal.
My brother had to call CPS just this Friday on his neighbor because he thought it’s okay to beat her 17yo daughter in the street for forgetting to wear a hijab.
I do want to point out that this behavior isn’t exclusive to Muslim culture. Just recently there was a MAGA guy who murdered his daughter for arguing about Trump.
I’m not going to say that there aren’t dangerous men out there, but a government shouldn’t be getting involved in what is a complicated personal nuanced issue. Punishing women for making a choice isn’t the answer.
I bet a ban on hijab will do wonders for that abused women you’re talking about. I bet their lives will fundamentally improve for now having to fear both their abusive relatives and the law, having to chose to get abuse from parents or from law enforcers should be fucking swell experience.
I am not un favor of the ban, but I also don’t know what works. I’m just saying the situation is fucked and religious indoctrination is fucked. Individual freedoms should be individual, freedom of people to wear hijab should be protected. Also freedom not to wear hijab should be protected, but seems to me there are people willing to violate freedoms on both sides of the lines.
I have pretty good idea what works, we have generations of data about it. Empowering women, giving them opportunities to live independently, giving them resources to escape abusive household. Same with men, children, and everyone else.
And we definitely, 100% know what doesn’t work. Adding more rules policing what women are allowed and not allowed to wear. This will, without any doubt, lead to more abuse. Some kids will have to live double lives, escaping abuse from home and abuse from cops that will no doubt use this opportunity to be cops about it. Some kids will not be allowed to go outside, which as you can imagine, will do wonders to their ability to actually live in society. Some kids will be shunned by families. Some kids will be harassed by police.
This shit has only one purpose, for racists to remove Muslim women from public existence. They don’t care what will happen to them as the result. Some of people who happy about this know what they’re doing, and it’s their plan. Some are just idiots who don’t care.
I bet welcoming the systemic demeaning of women will work even better to improve their safety. Just legalize killing them if they don’t wear the scarf then.
If you really care about demeaning of women, this is what you need to focus on. Adding the “you will be punished if you obey your abuser” rule is exactly, specifically the opposite of helping.
Both of your stories are interesting but are only anecdotes at the end of the day. What’s important is that this is banning a religious practice because you dislike or don’t agree with it. That’s a road we shouldn’t go down. We have countless examples throughout history and in our present day of heavy handed approaches to enforcing cultural and religious unity, and most people who are not authoritarians agree that this is a bad thing to do.
I dont have a solution my friend, I’m just giving counter examples of freedoms being trampled on the conservative Muslim side. And saying situation is fucked for muslim women, if they want to wear or not want to wear. Because one one side it’s islmaphobes trampling their freedom to wear a hijab and on the otherside Islam conservatives trampling their freedom to not wear one.
Do you think it’s possible that some women actually choose to wear the Hijab?
Exactly. People should not be forced to wear religious clothing but people should not be forced to not wear religious clothing either.
If the law is created to protect individual human rights, children’s rights, to protect them even from the religious beliefs of their parents, then they should make circumcision illegal as well.
If they don’t, then this isn’t their motivation at all, and they are simply bigots.
(They won’t)
Yeah… that’s not how any laws work. Lawmakers make compromises all the time and introduce some rules gradually. They made non-smoking rooms mandatory first, then they banned smoking in public workplaces and businesses open to the public, then they banned smoking near to bus stops and so on and so on. You don’t go “if the law was created to protect non-smokers they would ban smoking everywhere where non-smokers are. If they don’t, then this isn’t their motivation at all”.
The idea that banning head scarves is incrementalism towards banning genital mutilation strains credulity. Besides, we all know that Austria of all places would never ban circumcision. This is not about the human rights of children.
The idea that banning head scarves is incrementalism towards banning genital mutilation strains credulity
I didn’t suggest that, you did. You said both things could protect children’s rights. I just pointed out that the fact that some law doesn’t address entirety of a problem doesn’t prove anything about motivations behind it. Many different things influence the scope of laws. Not just the intent of the legislators but also things like popular support, how much would the enforcement cost, is the enforcement possible in practical terms or some undesired consequences of such enforcement.
I question the logic if banning head scarves is higher priority than forced genital mutilation
In this case priority is a matter of perspective, not logic. Banning circumcision may be more important for you and me but it doesn’t mean it’s the priority for Austrian voters and legislators.
This law also oppresses freedom of expression and it will only make muslims more resentful and resistant to integration.
Sexist and racist nonsense targeted to control women and punish minorities.
Exactly. Good thing then that this ban was enacted, since this may help a little to not punish children and loosen control over women.
Loosen control over women by controlling what women are allowed to wear because the clothing she wants to wear comes from a culture that controls what women are allowed to wear. Great job liberating women from having to make their own choices, you’re such a hero.
I wish the government will ban you from wearing a hat, I don’t like it when men wearing hats.
Every time I see a ban like this, I have to wonder how many families did the math and decided that their girls actually don’t need an education outside the home, or their wife doesn’t need a job or to go grocery shopping herself, and all of them will just have to rely on their male relatives their whole lives to take care of them. Policies that force people to dress outside of their cultural acceptability leads to isolation, not integration.
It’s illegal to not send your children to school so the cops can come and pick you up.
Except, in Europe it’s usually mandatory to take your kid to school until a certain age and home schooling is usually not an option.
And guess what? This literally just happened last week in Flanders in Belgium.
Girls were rounded up and publically stripped in front of administrators.
Now they can’t go to school but it is illegal to stay home, but the schools are also completely full so they aren’t allowed to enroll I’m another school that doesn’t publically strip them.
It’s fucked. But of course, all other religions can wear whatever they want as long as they are not brown people.
I have quickly checked and unfortunately Austria does allow homeschooling. So the concern of isolation is sadly not entirely unjustified.
Good points you raise there. Therefore further measures are required to prevent said isolating consequences.
Probably less than the number that decided enforcing an oppressive style of dress wasn’t worth the hassle when faced with minimal societal pressure.
But like, if it’s cold out and I wrap my scarf around my head, is that ok? Why not?
That’s fine under this law because it directly targets Muslim religious observance.
The ban is for indoors
