Austrian Muslim Organization Condemns Interior Minister\u2019s Comments on Headscarf as \u2018Disturbing\u2019
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\nThe Islamic Religious Community in Austria (IGGO) sharply criticized Austrian Interior Minister Claudia Plakolm on Monday for her recent remarks describing the Islamic headscarf as a \u201csign of oppression,\u201d Anadolu Agency reported.<\/p>\n
In an official statement, IGGO expressed being \u201cdeeply disturbed\u201d by Plakolm\u2019s comments. On Sunday, Plakolm, a member of the ruling Austrian People’s Party (\u00d6VP), posted an Instagram video saying, \u201cThe headscarf is a symbol of oppression. Girls are hidden behind headscarves during a critical phase of their personality and physical development, and extremist tendencies, especially among children, have no place in our schools.\u201d<\/p>\n
Plakolm\u2019s remarks relate to a government bill aiming to ban headscarves in kindergartens and schools for girls under 14, with the law expected to be enacted in fall 2025.<\/p>\n
Responding to this, IGGO stated that associating the headscarf\u2014an expression of religious practice recognized by Austrian law\u2014with \u201cextremist tendencies\u201d unsettles many young Muslim women and those who value religious freedom and equal treatment. The organization emphasized that denying girls the right to religious self-determination misses the essence of child protection.<\/p>\n
IGGO also expressed willingness to engage in dialogue, inviting the minister to meet privately with Muslim educators, parents, and youth. They added that, \u201cIf the statement was misleading, a public clarification is urgently needed to foster respectful social dialogue.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Austrian Muslim Organization Condemns Interior Minister\u2019s Comments on Headscarf as \u2018Disturbing\u2019 —————————- The Islamic Religious Community in Austria (IGGO) sharply criticized Austrian Interior Minister Claudia Plakolm on Monday for her recent remarks describing the Islamic headscarf as a \u201csign of oppression,\u201d Anadolu Agency reported. In an official statement, IGGO expressed being \u201cdeeply disturbed\u201d by Plakolm\u2019s …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":129472,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_108372464460192_245495985553329":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[9233],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-129473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-austria"],"yoast_head":"\n