this post was submitted on 13 Sep 2026
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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.

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[–] wanderer@scribe.disroot.org -4 points 6 days ago

Totally support this. This will prevent Muslim parents from forcing their children to wear hijab.

[–] Cornpop@lemmy.world -5 points 6 days ago

Should just outright ban them to be honest.

[–] growsomethinggood@reddthat.com 82 points 1 week ago (13 children)

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.

[–] iturnedintoanewt@lemmy.world 33 points 1 week ago (3 children)

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.

[–] Zacryon@feddit.org 24 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I have quickly checked and unfortunately Austria does allow homeschooling. So the concern of isolation is sadly not entirely unjustified.

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[–] LastYearsIrritant@sopuli.xyz 58 points 1 week ago (8 children)

The exact wording isn't clear, but if it really is just Islamic clothing, then it's a bad law.

If it were more generalized, such as "no one under 14 is allowed to follow religion enforced dress codes, such as..." Which also included dresses, skullcaps, head coverings of all kinds, etc. inside of a school, that would be a lot more reasonable.

But a law targeting one religion, and ignoring others, just reeks of bigotry.

[–] midribbon_action@lemmy.blahaj.zone 27 points 1 week ago (6 children)

Actually the law you described would suck ass as well.

[–] hanrahan@slrpnk.net 20 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I'd be for it, religious indoctrination and gas lighting kids is nothing but abuse. i'd raise the age to 18 though.

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[–] WormFood@lemmy.world 53 points 1 week ago (10 children)

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)?

[–] Lumisal@lemmy.world 0 points 6 days ago

Yup, I agree.

That said, even if it's only one religion being targeted now, it's better that some are free from misogynistic religious oppression rather than none, in my view.

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[–] wrinkle2409@lemmy.cafe 43 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Right, they should follow up with a kippah ban for boys for the goal "to protect children's development and their freedom to develop as individuals" /s

[–] Endymion_Mallorn@kbin.melroy.org 22 points 1 week ago (1 children)

They absolutely should. If hats are banned, that includes fezzes and little felt ones.

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[–] theuniqueone@lemmy.dbzer0.com 37 points 1 week ago (6 children)

Sexist and racist nonsense targeted to control women and punish minorities.

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[–] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 28 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

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.

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[–] SCmSTR@lemmy.blahaj.zone 26 points 1 week ago (2 children)

If not for religion, banning a scarf would be universally seen as inane.

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