Austria to ban Muslim girls from wearing a headscarf in primary schools

Austrian MPs passed, Wednesday, a law that bans Muslim girls from wearing a headscarf in primary schools, AFP reports.

The bill was initially supported by the country’s center-right People’s Party (OVP) and far-right Freedom Party (FPO), and rejected by teh opposition. 

Although the newly passed bill indicates that the ban has to do with «ideologically or religiously influenced clothing which is associated with the covering of the head», it is targeted at the Islamic headscarf.

Later on Wednesday, the Austrian government said that the «patka head covering worn by Sikh boys or the Jewish yarmulke would not be affected because the law refers to head garments that cover all of the hair or large parts of it».

Commenting on the new measure, OVP lawmaker Rudolf Taschner said that the bill is meant to «free girls from submission». Meanwhile FPO education spokesman Wendelin Molzer said that the law is made to fight «against political Islam», AFP wrote.

However, the Austrian government was slammed for allowing such bill. A Muslim community organization in Austria said that the new law «discriminates exclusively against Muslims».