Austria's Chancellor Christian Stocker has proposed a constitutional law to ban what he terms 'political Islam' from the country, asserting that its political interpretation conflicts with democratic principles and Western values.
Stocker, who leads the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) since January 2025, clarified that the ban would not target the religion itself, but rather its use in politics. "We uphold freedom of religion – everyone can believe what they want and practice their faith," he stated in an interview with Heute. "But when religion is used politically, we must oppose it with the utmost resolve."
According to the 2021 census, Muslims constitute 8.3 percent of Austria's population, representing its largest religious minority. Both the number and proportion of Muslims have increased since the 1970s.
In a social media post, Stocker elaborated, "I do not want our children and grandchildren to grow up in an Islamic State. In Austria, everyone can believe what they want. This freedom of faith is protected by our constitution. But where believers and non-believers are distinguished, where men and women are not equal, where our institutions, authorities and courts are not respected, that freedom ends. Just as we protect the practice of religion, we must protect our democracy."
Integration Minister Claudia Bauer expressed support for the initiative, calling radical Islam "the greatest danger of our time, for our Western democracy, for the freedom of girls and women and for everyone who wants to live their religion peacefully and freely."
Other political parties have indicated a willingness to consider the proposal. Jörg Leichtfried, State Secretary for the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ), stated that democracies must defend themselves when a religion is misused to attack the rule of law. The SPÖ intends to review the ÖVP's proposals for potential joint action.
The NEOS party has declared openness to measures that enhance Austria's safety, but its parliamentary group leader Yannick Shetty awaits a "legally feasible proposal." Legal experts have raised concerns about the vagueness of the term 'political Islam,' suggesting that a clear definition for a legally enforceable ban might be difficult to establish. Constitutional law expert Peter Bußjäger noted that anti-democratic activities are already prohibited under existing laws, questioning the necessity of a separate ban.
Recent findings from a poll commissioned by the City of Vienna, based on interviews with 1,200 individuals aged 14 to 21, indicated that 41 percent of young Muslims surveyed agreed that their religious beliefs supersede the country's laws. The study also found that 46 percent believed people should be prepared to "fight and die" for their faith, and 65 percent felt Islamic rules should strictly apply to all daily life aspects.
Responding to the poll, ÖVP General Secretary Nico Marchetti described the results as a "devastating picture" and a "clear warning signal," emphasizing that Austria cannot accept a situation where Islamic precepts are placed above national laws and that individuals must adapt to Austrian society. He added, "Austria must not and will not become a caliphate. Anyone who rejects these principles has no place in our country."
Austria's right-wing opposition party, the FPÖ, reacted strongly to the poll results. Politician Harald Vilimsky stated that the party had warned about such developments for decades, claiming Sharia is now entrenched in Europe. Vienna's FPÖ leader Dominik Nepp called the results an "alarm signal for the whole of Austria" and attributed the situation to what he described as decades of failed migration and integration policies under the city's Social Democratic leadership.
A 2017 Chatham House poll found that 65 percent of Austrians agreed with stopping further migration from predominantly Muslim countries, with Austrian respondents being among the most likely to hold this view.