December 11, 2025, 3:25 p.mDecember 11, 2025, 3:25 p.m
Muslim girls in Austria will no longer be allowed to wear headscarves in schools until the age of 14. A corresponding change in the law was passed in parliament.
The law applies from the beginning of the 2026/2027 school year. Image: APA/APA
Family and Integration Minister Claudia Plakolm spoke in parliament of a historic step to protect girls. The headscarf is not a harmless piece of material. “It’s a sign of oppression,” said the conservative politician (ÖVP). No girl in Austria should grow up with her body having to be hidden, she argued.
The ban concerns the “headscarf, which covers the head according to Islamic traditions,” as the text of the law states. It comes into force at the beginning of the 2026/2027 school year. A so-called educational phase begins in February to prepare the new regulations in schools.
Fines of up to 800 euros
If the ban is violated, the school management should first have a conversation with the girl concerned and her parents. If the child continues to wear a headscarf, the parents must speak to the responsible school authority. As an extreme measure, there is a risk of fines of between 150 and 800 euros (140 to 749 francs).
The change in the law was approved with the votes of the governing parties – ÖVP, Social Democrats (SPÖ) and liberal NEOS. The opposition, right-wing populist FPÖ also supported the measure. The Greens do not fundamentally reject a headscarf ban, but they voted against the current law, which in their view was not formulated in accordance with the constitution. A similar regulation of the ÖVP-FPÖ coalition from 2019 was overturned by the Constitutional Court. At that time, the ban was only intended for primary schools.
Why not a ban on all religious head coverings?
Among other things, the judges criticized the fact that the law only targeted Muslim girls and not all religious head coverings. The current government now argues that it is about preventing gender-based oppression. It is said that this problem does not exist with the Jewish Kippa or the Sikh Patka. The Islamic Religious Community in Austria (IGGÖ) criticized the new ban because it stigmatizes children and weakens social cohesion. The IGGÖ announced that it would have the law examined under constitutional law. (sda/dpa)