Austria agrees to ban ‘political Islam’ as it unveils broad new anti-terror measures

Austria plans to introduce a series of anti-terrorism measures following last week’s deadly attack in Vienna, including the criminalization of political interpretations of Islam deemed to encourage violent extremism.

Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said that the measures intended to protect society from extremists that he described as “ticking time bombs” on Wednesday.

The proposals include the capability to keep individuals convicted of terror offenses behind bars for life, facilitate electronic surveillance of people convicted of terror-related crimes upon release, and criminalize political activity that encourages violence.

Kurz said the steps, which will be brought to a vote in parliament in December, take a two-pronged approach, aiming at both terror suspects and the ideology that drives them.

Beim Ministerrat haben wir ein umfassendes Paket mit 2 großen Zielen verabschiedet: 1. Ein konsequentes Vorgehen gegen Terroristen und Gefährder. 2. Ein entschiedenes Vorgehen gegen die Ideologie dahinter, gegen den politischen Islam, der die Grundlage für den Terror bildet.

— Sebastian Kurz (@sebastiankurz) November 11, 2020

“In the fight against political Islam – the ideological basis behind it – we are going to create a criminal offense called ‘political Islam’ to be able to move against those who aren’t terrorists but are preparing the ground for it,” he told reporters after a cabinet meeting.

Im Kampf gegen den politischen Islam werden wir einen Straftatbestand „Politischer Islam“ schaffen, um gegen diejenigen vorgehen zu können, die selbst keine Terroristen sind, aber den Nährboden für solche schaffen.

— Sebastian Kurz (@sebastiankurz) November 11, 2020

He also said the government planned to simplify shutting down associations or mosques deemed to play a role in radicalization and to enable the public to report potential “jihadist” activities on an online platform.

Es wird weitere Möglichkeiten für die Schließung der Kultusstätten geben, eine Einführung eines Imame-Registers, das Symbol- & Vereinsgesetz wird verschärft & darüber hinaus werden Maßnahmen gesetzt, um Finanzströme zur Terrorismusfinanzierung trocken legen zu können.

— Sebastian Kurz (@sebastiankurz) November 11, 2020

A central register of imams will also be created.

Also, among the measures is a scheme that would make it possible for authorities to strip people of Austrian citizenship if they are sentenced to terror-related offenses.

In Zukunft braucht es eine Unterbringung für terroristische Straftäter im Maßnahmenvollzug auch nach der Haft, eine elektronische Aufenthaltsüberwachung, eine Aberkennung der Ö-Staatsbürgerschaft bei Doppelstaatsbürgerschaften und eine Anti-Terror Staatsanwaltschaft.

— Sebastian Kurz (@sebastiankurz) November 11, 2020

The Green party, now in alliance with Kurz’s People’s Party (OeVP), had previously condemned the concept of preventive detention while in opposition.

Wir müssen alles dafür tun, um terroristische Anschläge künftig zu verhindern. Allem voran steht die schonungslose Aufklärung der Fehler des BVT und seine Neuaufstellung. Wir brauchen aber auch darüber hinaus Maßnahmen, um Lücken in der Terror-Bekämpfung zu schließen. pic.twitter.com/d4sKdF95l7

— Die Grünen (@Gruene_Austria) November 11, 2020

Background.

On the 2nd of November, an attacker killed four people in central Vienna before being shot dead by police. Twenty others, including a police officer, were injured.

Authorities in Austria have identified the suspect as 20-year-old Kujtim Fejzulai, a dual national of North Macedonia and Austria who had a previous conviction for joining Daesh in Syria.

Aftermath.

On Monday, almost 1,000 police and intelligence service officers raided homes, businesses, and associations allegedly tied to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, seizing millions of euros in cash across four provinces.

Prosecutors insisted the raids were not connected to the attack last week but were the result of an investigation stretching back more than a year.

The attack in Vienna followed an attack in Nice, France, in which four people were killed.

In the wake of various assaults, France has also begun to close mosques and is cracking down on the organizations it suspects are spreading hate.

However, there are fears of collective punishment and rising Islamophobia, especially as BarakaCity, a prominent charity, was dissolved in late October.

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