Austrian
Parliament Bans Foreign Funding For Islamic Organizations
by IPT News • Mar 1, 2015 at
10:22 am
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The Austrian parliament passed legislation on Wednesday prohibiting
foreign funding for Islamic organizations in an attempt at curbing the
spread of Islamist radicalism, Newsweek reports.
The law specifically bans foreign funding for imams and mosques from
some Muslim nations including Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Under the new
legislation, Austria's 450 Muslim organizations must exhibit a
"positive approach toward society and the state" in order to
continue receiving official authorization.
Sebastian Kurz, Austria's integration minister, said that the new
provisions would inhibit specific Muslim countries from exerting
"political influence" in Austria via financial mechanisms.
"What we want is to reduce the political influence and control from
abroad and we want to give Islam the chance to develop freely within our
society and in line with our common European values," Kurz told the BBC on
Wednesday.
The new law has received backlash from Austria's Muslim communities,
arguing that international support for Christian and Jewish groups is still
allowed. However, the legislation appears to target some countries with
problematic foreign policies of promoting radical Islamist agendas.
Moreover, the law will initiate university-led education programs for
Austrian imams and Muslims will have the right to halal meals in some of
the country's main institutions and public schools, including hospitals,
prisons, and in the armed forces. Muslim workers in these institutions will
also be able to receive spiritual guidance from Islamic religious leaders.
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