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.
What if a woman chooses to wear a hijab?
Are you not then hindering their freedom of expression?
Should turbans and yamakas be banned too?
Should circumcision, a permanent elective surgery, also be banned because it infringes on (often an infant’s) bodily autonomy?
You speak as if these is an irrefutable moral basis to this when the reality is it’s based almost entirely on cultural biases.
Freedom of expression means that you don’t get to choose for others, especially when it comes to their bodily autonomy.
Ironically, this is patriarchal, authoritarian and ultimately antithetical to Western values.