Austrian FM pushes for Islamic headscarf ban for all public servants

All public servants in Austria, including schoolteachers, must be banned from wearing Islamic headscarves at work, according to legislation being drafted by Sebastian Kurz, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Integration.

All public servants in Austria, including schoolteachers, must be banned from wearing Islamic headscarves at work, according to legislation being drafted by Sebastian Kurz, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Integration.

Kurtz also wants a nationwide ban on full body veils and restrictions placed on Quran distribution by Salafist Muslims in Austria.

Kurz is working on the new regulations together with his Muslim colleague, MunaDuzdar, Austria’s Secretary of State for Diversity, Public Service and Digitization.

“I’m open to discussions about this but in reality one cannot pick individual religions. If you discuss religious dress and symbols, you have to speak about all religions,” she said.

The Secretary of State confirmed that one can’t be discriminated in the workplace because of their religious beliefs in accordance with 2004 equality law.