Vienna, April 20, 2026
A new legal opinion has found Austria’s revised ban on Islamic headscarves for girls under 14 in schools to be unconstitutional, citing continued selective targeting of religious expression and flawed reasoning.
Selective Targeting of Islamic Headscarves
The latest prohibition, which applies exclusively to girls under 14, remains narrowly focused on the Islamic headscarf, according to the legal assessment. The ban was framed as restricting the garment as "Ausdruck einer ehrkulturellen Verhaltenspflicht" ("an expression of an honor-cultural behavioral obligation"). Critics argue this perpetuates a pattern of singling out Muslim practices while ignoring similar religious symbols.
The opinion, commissioned by legal experts, notes that while the legislation claims broader applicability, its enforcement disproportionately affects one religious group. "Im Ergebnis hat die Gesetzgebung die von einer Ungleichbehandlung betroffene Personengruppe stark erweitert, sodass der (...) Wille zum selektiven Herausgreifen zwar mit Blick auf die betroffene Religion weiterhin selektiv bleibt, das Herausgreifen jedoch umfangreicher angelegt ist" ("In effect, the legislation has significantly expanded the group of people affected by unequal treatment, so that the (...) intention to selectively single out remains selective with regard to the affected religion, but the singling out is now more extensive"), the report states.