The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned as ‘discriminatory and authoritarian’ a proposal announced by Austria’s integration minister to ban Islamic head scarves, or hijab, for girls under the age of 14.
CAIR has repeatedly condemned growing Islamophobia in Europe. Earlier today, CAIR condemned an official Israeli government call to “remove” Muslims from Europe as another part of that terror state’s “war on Islam.”
In a statement, CAIR said:
“This discriminatory and authoritarian proposal is a direct attack on religious freedom and the fundamental rights of Muslim girls and their families. Targeting the hijab—a religious symbol worn by millions of women and girls around the world—under the guise of integration is a blatant attempt to marginalize and control the Muslim community. We call on Austrian lawmakers to reject this measure and uphold the values of equality, religious liberty, and human dignity for all citizens, regardless of faith.”
CAIR also expressed deep concern over the Austrian government’s broader rhetoric signaling an end to “voluntary integration,” warning that such policies risk fostering division, alienation, and Islamophobia.
Washington, D.C., based CAIR reaffirmed its solidarity with Muslim communities in Austria and Europe and urged international human rights bodies to scrutinize and oppose efforts that curtail religious expression under the pretext of social policy.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com