Austrian citizens’ desire for Muslims to adapt to Austrian culture is “Islamophobic,” the country’s state broadcaster has claimed.
According to a recently released study by the University of Vienna, 75% of Austrians agreed with the statement that Muslims should adapt to Austrian culture, and only 15% disagreed. More than half of the respondents also agreed that “the headscarf is a symbol of the oppression of women.”
In its reporting about the study, broadcaster ORF deemed these statements to be “Islamophobic” and a signal of rising prejudice in the country.
The survey also reveals that 39% of Austrians consider Christian and Islamic values to be incompatible, while 31% agreed with the statement that Muslims should be restricted from practicing their religion.
Conservative publication Exxpress condemned the biased liberal reporting, commenting that while the ORF worries about the rise of Islamophobia, Jewish institutions in Vienna need security around the clock.
Although the study does also deal with antisemitism, it fails to take into account that the increasing number of Muslims in Austria has coincided with the rise of anti-Jewish incidents. The number of such incidents has risen especially sharply since the terror attack against Israel on October 7th, 2023, and the aggressive pro-Hamas protests in Vienna.
In the first half of 2024, there were a total of 808 antisemitic incidents in Austria—including physical assaults, verbal and online threats, and damage to property—an increase of around 160% compared to the first half of 2023. More than 250 of the reported antisemitic incidents could be attributed to persons or organisations that are “connected to Islam ideologically or religiously.”
Speaking to ORF, Jaron Engelmayer, the chief rabbi in Vienna, acknowledged that antisemitism is increasing, which is why security measures are being enforced. “Unfortunately there are also members of our community who no longer want to wear Jewish symbols when they go outside,” he added.
Observers have linked the rise of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) and its victory in the recent national elections to the desire of Austrians to curb illegal immigration.
Mass migration is changing the face of the country, with a report revealing last year that 27.2% of Austrian residents hail from a foreign background—first-generation immigrants or born in Austria to foreign parents. In 2013, that number was 19.4%.
The inability to integrate these migrants is the real cause for concern: as we recently reported, a shocking 44.6% of first-graders in public elementary schools in Vienna lack the necessary German language skills to follow the lessons.
