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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[–] 82 points 2 weeks ago (17 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.

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  • [–] 33 points 2 weeks ago (4 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.

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  • [–] 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 child)

    And guess what? This literally just happened last week in Flanders in Belgium.

    Girls were rounded up and publically stripped in front of administrators.

    Now they can't go to school but it is illegal to stay home, but the schools are also completely full so they aren't allowed to enroll I'm another school that doesn't publically strip them.

    It's fucked. But of course, all other religions can wear whatever they want as long as they are not brown people.

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  • [–] 16 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

    It's illegal to not send your children to school so the cops can come and pick you up.

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  • [–] -4 points 1 week ago (1 child)

    These laws encourage communities to establish their own private schools, so that their kids are no longer targeted by this kind of fascist intrusion by the state.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 week ago

    They can't and if they do there are standards that the state controls.

    This is not a fascist intrusion this is ensuring children a half decent chance to have a secular education with science, chance to get a job etc. What are you even on about?

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  • [–] 13 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

    Probably less than the number that decided enforcing an oppressive style of dress wasn't worth the hassle when faced with minimal societal pressure.

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  • [–] -3 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

    But like, if it’s cold out and I wrap my scarf around my head, is that ok? Why not?

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  • [–] -2 points 1 week ago

    If you're not Muslim, you can wear what you want.

    If you're wearing hijab to hide alopecia or chemotherapy-induced hair loss, that's fine, so long as you're not also brown. Hell, if you're not Muslim, you can go ahead and wear hijab on a bad hair day.

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