Lyla Lindsey
In 2018, the Austrian government announced it would close seven 'political' mosques and expel 60 imams suspected of having links to Turkish nationalists and radical Islamists. The move was part of a crackdown on parallel societies, political Islam and radicalisation tendencies, according to Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. In 2020, following an attack by an ISIS supporter, Austria closed two more mosques in Vienna attended by the attacker.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of mosques closed | 7 |
| Reason | Links to Turkish nationalists, insufficient integration of people of Turkish origin in Austrian society, and crackdown on "political Islam" |
| Location | Vienna, Upper Austria, Carinthia |
| Organisations involved | ATIB, IGGÖ, ÖVP, FPÖ |
| People involved | Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, Ibrahim Kalin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Susanne Raab, Karl Nehammer |
| Related events | Children re-enacting the World War One Battle of Gallipoli in a mosque, photos of children doing the Turkish nationalist Grey Wolves greeting, November 2020 attack by ISIS supporter Kujtim Fejzullai |
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What You'll Learn
- Austria closes seven mosques due to their links to Turkish nationalists
- Mosques in Austria are accused of insufficient integration of people of Turkish origin
- Austrian authorities work with IGGÖ to identify mosques with radical Islamist connections
- Austria's chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, condemns 'parallel societies' and 'political Islam'
- The Austrian government closes two mosques attended by the Vienna jihad attacker
Austria closes seven mosques due to their links to Turkish nationalists
In 2018, Austria announced it would close seven "political" mosques and expel up to 60 imams with links to Turkish nationalists. The decision was part of a crackdown on "political Islam" by the coalition government, which comprised the centre-right People's Party (ÖVP) and the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ). Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said that "parallel societies, political Islam and radicalisation tendencies have no place in our country".
Kurz's election campaign the previous year drew heavily on anxiety about immigration and the integration of Muslims. He has long called for the EU to break off Turkey's EU membership negotiations, a stance that has angered Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In 2017, this anger led Turkey to veto Nato's cooperation with Austria, disrupting Nato's partnership activities with 41 countries.
The Austrian government's decision to close the mosques followed an investigation by the national religious affairs authority. In April 2018, images emerged showing children in Turkish army uniforms re-enacting the World War One Battle of Gallipoli in a mosque in Vienna's Favoriten district. The mosque was run by ATIB, an Islamic organisation in Austria close to the Turkish government. The children were pictured doing the Turkish nationalist Grey Wolves greeting. The Grey Wolves are widely considered to be a far-right ultranationalist group.
Turkey denounced Austria's move as "Islamophobic, racist and discriminatory". A spokesman for the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, called it a "reflection of the anti-Islam, racist and discriminatory populist wave in this country". ATIB itself condemned the photos, calling the event "highly regrettable" and insisting that it had been called off before it had ended.
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Mosques in Austria are accused of insufficient integration of people of Turkish origin
In 2018, the Austrian government announced that it would be closing seven 'political' mosques and expelling imams suspected of having links to Turkish nationalists. The move was part of a crackdown on "parallel societies, political Islam and radicalisation tendencies" in the country, which, according to Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, had "no place in our country".
Mosques in Austria have been accused of insufficient integration of people of Turkish origin. This accusation came to a head in 2018 when images emerged of children in a Turkish-financed mosque in Vienna re-enacting the World War One Battle of Gallipoli. The children were draped in Turkish flags, playing dead. This incident intensified a nationwide debate about the integration of people of Turkish origin in Austrian society.
The mosque in question was run by ATIB, an Islamic organisation in Austria close to the Turkish government. ATIB is considered an extension of the Turkish religious authority Diyanet and Erdogan's AKP party. It is the umbrella organisation for 60 associations with more than 100,000 members and has been suspected of spying for Erdogan. Experts suggest that about one-third of the mosques in Austria are actively working against integration.
In addition to the closure of the seven mosques, the Austrian government presented draft legislation to parliament that would introduce a new statutory offense banning "religiously motivated extremism". The legislation would also require the IGGÖ, a Muslim community body, to present registries of all its mosques and imams to the government and speed up processes to close down radical mosques.
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Austrian authorities work with IGGÖ to identify mosques with radical Islamist connections
In 2018, Austrian authorities worked with the Islamic Religious Community in Austria (IGGÖ) to identify mosques and imams with suspected radical Islamist or nationalist connections. The IGGÖ is a Muslim community body and the state-recognized umbrella group that represents more than 250 mosques in the country.
The Austrian government's crackdown primarily targeted imams with alleged Turkish nationalist links. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz stated that "parallel societies, political Islam, and radicalization tendencies have no place in our country." The government planned to close seven mosques and expel 60 imams, 40 of whom belonged to ATIB, an Islamic organization with close ties to the Turkish government. This move followed reports of mosques in Vienna promoting Islamic separatism and reenactments of the World War One Battle of Gallipoli by children dressed in Turkish army uniforms.
In 2020, Austrian authorities again took action by closing two mosques in Vienna that were frequented by Kujtim Fejzullai, a man described as an ISIS supporter who carried out a terrorist attack that killed four people. The government also closed an unregistered mosque, the Melit Ibrahim Association, which was attended by Fejzullai and other individuals with terrorism convictions.
Following the 2020 attack, the Austrian government introduced draft legislation to ban "religiously motivated extremism" and require the IGGÖ to provide registries of all its mosques and imams. This legislation aimed to expedite the closure of radical mosques, increase fines for non-compliant Muslim organizations, and enhance monitoring of their finances.
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Austria's chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, condemns 'parallel societies' and 'political Islam'
Austria's chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, has taken a strong stance against what he calls "parallel societies" and "political Islam" in the country. In 2018, the Austrian government announced it would shut down seven "political" mosques and expel imams with alleged ties to Turkish nationalist groups. Kurz stated that "parallel societies, political Islam, and radicalisation tendencies have no place in our country."
The decision to close these mosques was based on suspicions of radical Islamist or nationalist connections. The Austrian authorities worked with a Muslim community body called IGGÖ to identify these mosques and imams. This crackdown was part of Kurz's campaign promises, which heavily featured anxiety about immigration and the integration of Muslims. Kurz's conservative People's Party (ÖVP) formed a coalition government with the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), which took control of security services and immigration policies.
Kurz has been vocal about his concerns regarding the "Islamification" of Austria and has urged the European Union to do more to combat "political Islam," calling it a "grave threat to European values." He has also pushed for legislation to introduce a new statutory offense banning "religiously motivated extremism" and to expedite the closure of radical mosques.
In 2020, following a jihadist attack in Vienna, the Austrian government again took action, closing two mosques frequented by the attacker. The government also agreed to close another mosque, the Tewhid Mosque, which was reported to lack a "positive attitude toward Austrian society and the state," as required by law. These closures highlight the Austrian government's continued efforts to address "political Islam" and promote integration.
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The Austrian government closes two mosques attended by the Vienna jihad attacker
In November 2020, the Austrian government ordered the closure of two mosques in Vienna, the capital city, which were frequented by a 20-year-old gunman, Kujtim Fejzulai, who carried out a jihadist attack in the city centre, killing four people. Fejzulai was an ISIS supporter who was killed by the police. This was Austria's first major attack in decades and the first blamed on a jihadist.
The two mosques, the Melit Ibrahim mosque in the Ottakring district and the Tewhid mosque in the Meidling area, were alleged to have furthered Fejzulai's radicalisation. The BVT domestic intelligence agency informed the government's religious affairs office that Fejzulai had repeatedly visited the two mosques after his release from prison.
The Austrian government's crackdown on political Islam and nationalist connections has been ongoing for several years. In 2018, the government announced it would close seven 'political' mosques and expel imams alleged to have Turkish nationalist links. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz stated that " [p]arallel societies, political Islam and radicalisation tendencies have no place in our country."
Following the November 2020 attack, the government presented draft legislation to parliament that would introduce a new statutory offense banning "religiously motivated extremism." The legislation would also enable the government to more easily close down radical mosques and monitor the financing of Muslim organisations.
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Frequently asked questions
Austria is closing some mosques due to their alleged links to Turkish nationalism and Islamic extremism.
The Austrian government has stated that it is taking action against "parallel societies, political Islam, and radicalisation tendencies."
The Austrian government announced plans to close seven 'political' mosques in 2018.
The decision was met with criticism from the Turkish government, which called the move "Islamophobic, racist, and discriminatory." There was also opposition from within Austria, with some arguing that the closures would drive Arab Muslims underground.
In 2020, two mosques in Vienna were closed after it was discovered that they were frequented by Kujtim Fejzullai, a jihadist gunman who killed four people in a terrorist attack. Additionally, in 2018, images emerged of children re-enacting a World War One battle in a mosque, sparking concerns about nationalist sentiments.
