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News > World

Fueled by Anti-Immigrant Sentiment, Austria to Fine Women Wearing Niqabs, Burqas

  • Protesters demonstrate against France's ban of the burkini outside the French Embassy in London.

    Protesters demonstrate against France's ban of the burkini outside the French Embassy in London. | Photo: Reuters

Published 23 May 2017
Opinion

The European country's burqa ban seemed to be an attempt to appease the right-wing Freedom Party.

Under a new legislation approved by the Austrian Parliament Tuesday, women wearing niqabs and burqas in public spaces such as universities, courthouses, and public transportation will be fined US$167.

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The measure that is set to take effect in October comes after other European countries such as France, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland and Bulgaria implemented full and partial bans on face veils in an attempt to curb Muslim women from dressing according to their religion and customs.

The anti-immigrant backlash already reigns strong in the European countries. Earlier this year, thousands of Muslim women took to the streets of Vienna in protest of the proposed law.

The new Austrian legislation is part of a migrant law that requires asylum seekers who have a likelihood of staying in Austria to take up unpaid work to "prepare them for the Austrian job market." Under the 12-month integration educational program if the asylum seekers refuse to take part in the course, their social welfare benefits will be slashed, Mic reported.

Manal Omar, a fellow at the Truman National Security Project said the bills placing restrictions on women's bodies — like the full-face veil ban — run the risk of isolating Muslim immigrant women rather than aiding them in successfully integrating into European society, according to Mic.

"Once more, we see where the state wants to control women's bodies rather than address the root issues," Omar said, "The bans on burqa push Muslim women out of the public squares, and only serves to further complicate integration and marginalize communities."

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Dalia Mogahed, director of research at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, said the European country's burqa ban seemed to be an attempt to appease the right-wing Freedom Party, instead of what some apologists claim is a strategy to diffuse the growing influence of the anti-immigrant party.

The government's move will do little to help Muslim women as it will help stoke anti-Muslim sentiment, according to some sources.

Sevgi Kircil, a member of Austria’s Muslim community, told the New York Times, the new restrictions were an infringement on individual privacy and a reckless “intervention in religious freedom and the freedom of expression.”

In March, the EU's highest court drew contempt over its ruling that stated private firms could prohibit women from wearing headscarves on the job.

In December, Germany's Angela Merkel announced her support for the ban, calling for the full facial veils to be prohibited “wherever it is legally possible."

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