Austria Islam Law

Austria Passes A Controversial Law On Islam

Austria Islam Law

The Austrian parliament has passed a law that is designed to prevent the funding of radical Islam within their nation.

The law was proposed to be passed as an amendment to a law on Islam from a century ago which made Islam an official religion in the country of Austria. However, the passage of this new law has been met with a great deal of criticism, as it singles out Islam and applies laws to it that are not attached to any other religion.

The Law’s Provisions

The law that was passed in Austria, colloquially known as The Law on Islam, places a ban on funding Islamic organizations. Moreover, any group that presents itself as being representative of Muslims in Austria must use a German translation of the Koran. Representatives within Austria reacted negatively to the passage of this law, saying that the Roman Catholic majority and the Jewish minority have no such restrictions placed upon their religion. Currently, Austria only has half a million Muslims within its borders, accounting for only six percent of the nation’s population.

However, not everything in the law is being viewed as negatively from within by Muslims. There is now training available for Imams of the religion as well as the guaranteed preservation of religious holidays. Still, many consider this to be small recompense for the restrictions that are being placed upon the religion.

The Bill’s Goal

The foreign minister of Austria was clear about what he wanted to happen with Islam in Austria. He said “We want an Islam of the Austrian kind, and not one that is dominated by other countries”. This reflects the view within the nation that there is the possibility that more people will be influenced by the extremist brand of Islam that is rising in the Middle East. At least 170 Muslims have left Austria to join extremist groups in Iraq and Syria. With ISIS making new headlines on a weekly basis, this law is being viewed as a legitimate counter to the threat, but also indicative of the country’s fear.

Aside from restricting the money that can be transferred through the country via Islamic channels, the law has other goals. Notably, the law is supposed to make the Muslims’ legal stature more powerful. These provisions continue to allow Muslims to eat and prepare food as their religion deems fit, and also allows them care in hospitals and the military that befits their religion.

Whether this law is a sign of future discrimination against Muslims is unknown, but it appears to be setting an interesting precedent for legislation against a single religious group.

Resources

Follow the Conversation on Twitter