GENEVA

The Islamic Religious Community in Austria (IGGO) on Monday criticized Austrian Interior Minister Claudia Plakolm for her controversial statement on a headscarf, in which she called it a “sign of oppression.”

In a press release, the IGGO said: “We are deeply disturbed by a recent statement by Minister of Culture Claudia Plakolm on the Islamic headscarf.”

Earlier on Sunday, Plakolm, a member of the ruling coalition Austrian People's Party (OVP), said in an Instagram video: "The headscarf is a symbol of oppression. Girls are hidden behind headscarves at a critical stage in their personality and physical development, and extremist tendencies, particularly among children, have no place in our schools."

Plakolm's statement is apparently connected to a bill proposed by the Austrian government to prohibit headscarves in kindergartens and schools for girls under 14.

According to Plakolm, the law will be passed in the fall of 2025.

However, the Islamic organization responded that "linking the headscarf, which is an expression of the religious practice of a religious community recognized by law in Austria, with 'extremist tendencies' unsettles not only many young Muslim women but also all those who trust in the protection of religious freedom and equal treatment."

According to the IGGO: "Those who deny girls religious self-determination across the board are missing the core of child protection."

The organization also expresses its willingness to engage in dialogue by inviting the minister to have a private discussion with Muslim educators, parents, and youth.

"If the statement was misleading, a public clarification would be urgently needed, also in the interests of respectful social dialogue," according to the IGGO statement.