Austrian MPs approved Thursday, by a large majority, the ban on headscarves in schools for girls under 14 years old. Only environmentalist deputies voted against, considering the law unconstitutional. In September 2010, France became the … first European country by prohibiting the wearing of the full veil in public spaces, which was followed by Bulgaria in 2021. For its part, Belgium prohibits the wearing of the full veil in public and maintains local rules and Denmark wants to bring this limitation to schools. In Swissthe ban on the burqa and niqab was approved by referendum in 2021. The case of Germany It is something more special because it prohibits the wearing of the full veil for civil servants, judges and the military.
The recent expulsion of a student from a public institute in Rioja for wearing the Islamic veil, as ABC reported, has reignited the problem in Spain, where there are no restrictions other than those imposed by the centers. The first time a similar event occurred in Spain was in the Community of Madrid last year. The controversy surrounding the “veto” of the Islamic veil in the classrooms of this institute has relaunched the fight of those who want its definitive ban. This is the case of Sonia Sierra, one of the two teachers who, after what happened a few months ago in Madrid, sent an initiative to the parliamentary groups of Congress to modify the regulation of the use of the hijab in educational environments and the burqa in public spaces. “Institutes are full of prohibitions. And being covered is one more,” says Sierra.
“I listened to this young girl’s statements and I think they are full of errors because no one is denying her her right to education.” But this teacher adds another argument: “The Islamic veil is discriminatory against women, a symbol of submission and restriction of their freedom.”
First attempt in Austria, overturned by the Constitutional Court
Back in Austria, a first attempt to ban the veil in schools, promoted in 2019, was overturned a year later by the Constitutional Court Austrian, who considered it discriminatory. However, the current conservative government, which is defending this bill in the name of protecting girls and adolescents, believes that this time the regulations are consistent with the Constitution.
The ban, which applies to “all forms” of wearing the Islamic veil inside schools, will come into full force in September, Absorption Minister Claudia Plakolm said. For repeated violations, parents face fines ranging from 150 to 800 euros (approximately $175 and $935). For Amnesty International Austria, this measure “constitutes blatant discrimination against Muslim girls” and could “fuel existing prejudices and stereotypes against Muslim women”.
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