Austria plans law to ban ‘political Islam’

Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker has announced intentions to introduce a constitutional law to ban ‘political Islam’ in the country. Stocker, leader of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), stated that while the state protects religious freedom and the right to practice faith, he opposes the political instrumentalization of religion, which he claims is incompatible with Western values and democracy.

Stocker emphasized that the measure is not a ban on Islam itself, but a defense against ideologies that undermine equality between men and women, distinguish between believers and non-believers, or fail to respect democratic institutions and courts. He expressed a desire to prevent the country from becoming an ‘Islamic state’ for future generations.

Support for the move has been voiced by other government officials. Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) State Secretary Jörg Leichtfried argued that the nation must defend itself when religion is misused to attack the rule of law. Integration Minister Claudia Bauer also vowed to combat political Islam, stating that a line is crossed when democratic institutions are not respected for political reasons.

Austria established the Documentation Center for Political Islam in 2020. The center defines political Islam as a supremacy ideology that seeks to influence society, culture, and policy through norms that contradict the rule of law, democracy, and human rights.