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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Exactly. People should not be forced to wear religious clothing but people should not be forced to not wear religious clothing either.