Styria parliament debates call for nationwide ban on political Islamism

Styria’s regional parliament debated a call for a nationwide ban on organisations linked to “political Islamism” at its first regular autumn sitting on Tuesday, ORF reported. The demand was put forward by the governing FPÖ and ÖVP parties.

The sitting followed a 12-week break and covered 45 items, including heating-cost subsidies, school assistance and groundwater pollution. The parties called on the federal government to ban organisations they associate with political Islam, including the Muslim Brotherhood, which was founded in Egypt.

Styria Governor Mario Kunasek of the FPÖ described the infiltration of society by Islamist associations and organisations as “one of the greatest dangers” to the region and Austria. Deputy Governor Manuela Khom of the ÖVP cited a study which, she said, found that 41 percent of Islamist young people in Vienna said they placed religion above the law.

The SPÖ and NEOS intended to support the motion, while the KPÖ said it wanted more details. The party said the governing coalition had not answered questions about a possible ban in committee, constitutional concerns remained unresolved, and a proposed subcommittee for further discussion had been rejected. KPÖ group leader Claudia Klimt-Weithaler said the issue required a serious strategy rather than a rushed ban, including education, social and youth work, work with boys, and accessible support for people affected by radicalisation.

The Greens called for the law to cover other extremist organisations, including the Identitarians. Group leader Sandra Krautwaschl also objected to the term “prohibition law”, saying it should be reserved for the Holocaust and the crimes that killed six million Jews.

Leadership tensions in the federal SPÖ were the main topic of conversation on the sidelines of the sitting. The leader of the Styrian party said he would consult with other state branches.