Austria's school hijab ban faces its first test

The ban on wearing hijabs by girls under the age of 14 in Austrian schools faces its first test on Monday, with the start of the school year in Vienna and other federal states.

Representatives of Austria's Muslim community have called the measure discriminatory and intend to challenge it in court.

The country's ruling coalition, made up of three centrist parties, proposed the ban, explaining it as necessary to protect the rights and freedoms of underage girls. Parliament passed the law in December with the support of the far-right Freedom Party. The only parliamentary force to oppose it was the Greens.

Source: Reuters