https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Austria in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed The Austrian government came under fire on Thursday for a new "Islam map" showing the location of mosques and associations around the country, with religious groups saying it would stigmatise Austria's Muslim population. https://www.thelocal.at/20210528/austrian-government-comes-under-fire-over-islam-map Fri, 28 May 2021 13:32:00 +0200 austrian-government-comes-under-fire-over-islam-map When Osama Abu El Hosna found himself under a hail of bullets during the shooting rampage in Vienna, he heroically risked his life to save a policeman at the scene. https://www.thelocal.at/20201108/our-religion-says-we-must-help-others-father-of-vienna-attack-hero Sun, 08 Nov 2020 09:45:05 +0100 our-religion-says-we-must-help-others-father-of-vienna-attack-hero Austria's main federation of Muslim residents (IGGiOe) on Sunday voiced its "indignation" after Vienna announced the closure of seven mosques and said it would expel Turkish-funded imams. https://www.thelocal.at/20180611/austrian-muslims-denounce-decision-to-close-mosques-and-expel-imams Mon, 11 Jun 2018 10:48:18 +0200 austrian-muslims-denounce-decision-to-close-mosques-and-expel-imams Austria said on Friday it could expel up to 60 Turkish-funded imams and their families and would shut down seven mosques as part of a crackdown on "political Islam", triggering fury in Ankara. https://www.thelocal.at/20180608/austria-will-expel-several-foreign-funded-imams-and-shut-seven-mosques-chancellor-says Fri, 08 Jun 2018 10:24:38 +0200 austria-will-expel-several-foreign-funded-imams-and-shut-seven-mosques-chancellor-says Austria's government announced on Wednesday its intention to bring in a ban on the headscarf for girls in kindergartens and primary schools. https://www.thelocal.at/20180404/austria-plans-headscarf-ban-for-primary-school-pupils Wed, 04 Apr 2018 15:41:43 +0200 austria-plans-headscarf-ban-for-primary-school-pupils Austria's new ban on the full Islamic veil and any face-concealing item is causing confusion, with a man in a shark costume the latest to be ensnared, authorities admitted Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.at/20171010/shark-mask-wearer-falls-foul-of-austrias-burqa-law Tue, 10 Oct 2017 15:45:46 +0200 shark-mask-wearer-falls-foul-of-austrias-burqa-law New restrictions come into force in Austria on Sunday banning the wearing of the full Islamic veil and other items concealing the face in public places and buildings. https://www.thelocal.at/20170929/austria-moves-to-ban-the-burqa Fri, 29 Sep 2017 18:14:32 +0200 austria-moves-to-ban-the-burqa As Austrians grow more openly hostile towards Muslims, major political parties are deliberately brandishing Islamophobia in the Catholic majority country ahead of next month's parliamentary election. https://www.thelocal.at/20170921/muslims-worried-austria-election Thu, 21 Sep 2017 12:18:50 +0200 muslims-worried-austria-election New Austrian legislation came into force on Friday that will ban the full-face Islamic veil in public places from October 1st. https://www.thelocal.at/20170609/burqas-will-be-banned-in-austria-later-this-year Fri, 09 Jun 2017 18:08:12 +0200 burqas-will-be-banned-in-austria-later-this-year Dutch prosecutors have rejected an Austrian request to prosecute MP Geert Wilders over alleged inflammatory remarks about Islam during a visit to Vienna two years ago, officials said Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.at/20170608/dutch-wont-prosecute-geert-wilders-over-anti-islam-speech-in-austria Thu, 08 Jun 2017 13:27:54 +0200 dutch-wont-prosecute-geert-wilders-over-anti-islam-speech-in-austria Dutch investigators are probing firebrand MP Geert Wilders over alleged inflammatory remarks about Islam made in a speech in Austria two years ago, prosecutors said on Friday. https://www.thelocal.at/20170602/dutch-probe-geert-wilders-over-vienna-anti-islam-speech-lands Fri, 02 Jun 2017 15:32:01 +0200 dutch-probe-geert-wilders-over-vienna-anti-islam-speech-lands A debate is raging in Austria after a study suggested that Islamic kindergartens in Vienna were helping to create "parallel societies" or even produce the dangerous homegrown radicals of the future. https://www.thelocal.at/20170416/study-suggests-viennas-islamic-kindergartens-create-parallel-societies Sun, 16 Apr 2017 09:32:01 +0200 study-suggests-viennas-islamic-kindergartens-create-parallel-societies Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern has criticised US President Donald Trump's controversial migration curbs. https://www.thelocal.at/20170203/austrian-chancellor-says-us-trump-travel-ban-highly-problematic Fri, 03 Feb 2017 14:41:06 +0100 austrian-chancellor-says-us-trump-travel-ban-highly-problematic The Christian cross will remain in Austrian court rooms, government ministers have said, despite a new programme of policies which says that state representatives must "present themselves as religiously neutral". https://www.thelocal.at/20170202/debate-over-cross-in-courtrooms-follows-full-veil-ban Thu, 02 Feb 2017 13:08:51 +0100 debate-over-cross-in-courtrooms-follows-full-veil-ban Austria’s tourism sector is concerned that the government’s planned ban on full-face veils in public places will damage Austria’s image for visitors from the Gulf States and will have a negative impact on tourism numbers. https://www.thelocal.at/20170201/tourism-sector-believes-burqa-ban-damages-austrias-image Wed, 01 Feb 2017 12:01:10 +0100 tourism-sector-believes-burqa-ban-damages-austrias-image Austria said Monday that Washington has suspended a programme that has allowed thousands of persecuted Iranian Christians and Jews to pass though the European country on their way to setting in the US. https://www.thelocal.at/20170130/us-muslim-ban-strands-30-iranians-in-austria Mon, 30 Jan 2017 21:49:25 +0100 us-muslim-ban-strands-30-iranians-in-austria Austria's chancellor said Monday he will seek to ban full-face veils in public, as part of a wide-ranging government programme aimed at fending off the challenge of the far-right. https://www.thelocal.at/20170130/austria-moves-to-ban-full-face-veils Mon, 30 Jan 2017 21:27:56 +0100 austria-moves-to-ban-full-face-veils Austria's Islamic Faith Community (IGGiÖ) has expressed its objective to show more transparency to the greater Austrian population. In an interview with Kurier, the organization's president, Ibrahim Olgun stated that a portion of the country's 350 prayer spaces will be open to the public during Friday prayers. https://www.thelocal.at/20170109/austrias-islamic-faith-community-will-open-mosque-doors Mon, 09 Jan 2017 13:23:17 +0100 austrias-islamic-faith-community-will-open-mosque-doors The family of a Muslim woman who was attacked in Vienna on Tuesday by an unknown assailant have told police they suspect the assault was motivated by Islamophobia. https://www.thelocal.at/20160921/muslim-woman-attacked-and-bitten-in-vienna Wed, 21 Sep 2016 12:17:02 +0200 muslim-woman-attacked-and-bitten-in-vienna Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schönborn has sought to clarify a recent controversial statement he made during a church festival, in which he suggested that Europe risks falling victim to an “Islamic conquest”. https://www.thelocal.at/20160916/cardinal-schnborn-defends-islamic-conquest-warning Fri, 16 Sep 2016 17:18:34 +0200 cardinal-schnborn-defends-islamic-conquest-warning