Vienna's Vice President advocates for the establishment of a "future city council".
In the heart of Austria, the city of Vienna is experiencing a significant demographic shift, with over 41% of children in compulsory schools being of Muslim faith, compared to approximately 35% with a Christian faith. This transformation has sparked a conversation about integration and coexistence, with the Vienna People's Party (VPW) taking a proactive stance.
The VPW, a prominent political force in Vienna, has expressed a strong desire to integrate the city's numerous immigrants into Viennese society. However, they have criticized the NEOS for failing to address central questions about Vienna's development and integration, particularly in regards to the prevention of parallel societies, the education of Muslim children, and the coexistence of religious communities.
The VPW's proposed approach to these challenges includes increased scrutiny and regulation of Islamic kindergartens and schools, active monitoring of Islamic political activities and institutions, the promotion of democratic values in education, and the aim to prevent the formation of parallel societies.
Under Sebastian Kurz's tenure as state secretary for integration, there was a push to carefully vet Islamic kindergartens to prevent linguistic and cultural isolation from society. This included calls to shut down Islamic kindergartens that isolate pupils and the extension of bans on items like headscarves in early education settings to promote integration.
To safeguard Austria’s liberal, democratic, and secular system, the government plans to establish a special agency modeled after the Documentation Centre of Austrian Resistance (DÖW) to monitor Islamic mosques, clubs, and social media. This move is in response to studies showing significant anti-western and antisemitic views among some Austrian Muslims.
The VPW emphasizes the importance that Muslim children are taught to live within democratic norms, explicitly rejecting fundamentalist and extremist interpretations that are hostile to women, minorities, the state, or democracy. By enforcing bans on cultural and religious symbols perceived as isolating and monitoring extremist tendencies, the VPW seeks to avoid the formation of parallel societies where groups remain segregated from the mainstream democratic and social order.
While there is opposition and public protest concerning the political context of these policies, especially regarding far-right influence, this framework represents the VPW Vienna’s current master plan to address the integration of Muslim students and avoid societal fragmentation. The VPW intends to address these questions with the help of a new future city council, as part of potential government participation.
The VPW's ultimate goal is to ensure that everyone, regardless of origin or religion, follows the same rules in Vienna. They believe that those who want to live in Vienna should speak the language, respect values, and laws, including equality, religious freedom, personal responsibility, law and order. This approach aims to foster a harmonious coexistence of Vienna's two major religious communities.
[1] K. Kraus, "Integration in Österreich: Die Strategie des ÖVP-Bundeslandesregierungs," in Integration in Österreich, ed. M. Böhm (Vienna: Böhlau Verlag, 2020), 11-30.
[2] A. G. Schmid, "The Vienna Model of Integration: A Critical Assessment," in The Vienna Model of Integration, ed. A. G. Schmid (New York: Columbia University Press, 2021), 3-22.
- The Vienna People's Party (VPW), in the heart of Austria's politics and policy-and-legislation, aims to integrate immigrants into Viennese society by implementing measures such as scrutiny of Islamic kindergartens, monitoring Islamic political activities, and promoting democratic values in education.
- In the context of general-news about Vienna's demographic shift, the VPW has criticized the NEOS for not addressing key questions about the city's development and integration, particularly in relation to the prevention of parallel societies, the education of Muslim children, and coexistence of religious communities.
