Austrian lawmakers on Thursday are expected to approve a law banning headscarves in schools for girls under 14, a move rights groups and experts say is discriminatory and could deepen societal division.

Austria's conservative-led government -- under pressure at a time when anti-immigration sentiment is running high -- proposed the ban earlier this year. They argue it is to protect girls "from oppression".

In 2019, when the country introduced a ban on headscarves in primary schools, the constitutional court struck it down, calling it unconstitutional and discriminatory. This time however, the government insists that its law is constitutional.

The law, if passed, would prevent girls younger than 14 from wearing headscarves that "cover the head in accordance with Islamic traditions" in all

See Full Page