VIENNA, 7 September, 2026 (Nosheen): Austria’s ban on headscarves for girls under the age of 14 is facing its first major test as schools reopen, with the country’s main Muslim organisation describing the measure as discriminatory and preparing to challenge it before the Constitutional Court. The legislation, proposed by Austria’s ruling coalition of three centrist parties, was presented as a measure aimed at protecting girls’ freedom and was passed by parliament in December with the support of the far-right Freedom Party. The left-wing Greens were the only parliamentary group to oppose the legislation. The Islamic Religious Community in Austria (IGGO), which formally represents the country’s Muslim community, has called the ban an infringement of fundamental rights and pledged to challenge it before the Constitutional Court. The court had rejected earlier challenges in July because the legislation had not yet entered into force. In 2020, the court ruled that a previous ban applying to girls under 10 in schools was unlawful because it discriminated against Muslims and conflicted with the state’s obligation to remain religiously neutral. Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr acknowledged that the outcome of a potential court challenge could not be predicted with certainty, while defending the government’s efforts to ensure that the new legislation complies with the constitution. Left-wing student organisations have also called for protests against the ban. The new school year began Monday in Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland, while schools in the remaining Austrian states are scheduled to reopen next week.