Lawmakers in Austria plan to establish a law that would ban young girls in kindergarten and elementary school from wearing headscarves, otherwise known as hijabs. Two right-wing parties expressed support for the move to prevent threats to its culture in the wake of the increasing number of Muslim refugees and asylum seekers in the country.
Members of the Freedom Party and the Austrian People's Party held a hard stance in its immigration policies in its last federal elections in 2017. Though Austria only accepted about one percent of asylum seekers, party leaders believe laws should be in place to avoid potential problems and threats to their society.
"What I can tell you is that it is a growing phenomenon," Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said in a news conference on Wednesday. "A few decades ago we did not have this in Austria and now it occurs primarily in Islamic kindergartens but also here and there in public establishments of Vienna and other cities."
Muslim girls can decide to wear a hijab when they become teenagers but some begin wearing the headscarves by 10 years old or younger to be accustomed to it.
Carla Amina Baghajati, a spokesperson from Austria's Islamic Religious Community, said that this is quite rare and many Muslim families actually reject the practice, hence it's unlikely that Muslim kindergarteners in Austria would be wearing headscarves at all.
Baghajati also said that she does not know any kindergarten pupil who wears a hijab.
"[This law] is more or less another symbolic action taken by policy to signal a broader public, to say, we are in control when it comes to the Islam issue," the spokesperson said.
At least two-thirds of the votes in parliament will be required in order for the proposal to become a law. The parties behind the proposal will also need to gather support from the liberals, such as the Social Democrats party.
