Russia Today: Fear of extremism has led to Austria having drafted amendments to a 102-year-old law on Islam. Muslim organizations are to be banned from being financed from abroad, while the Koran is to get a unified German-language translation.
The amendments have already been criticized for singling out Islam, which has so far existed in Austria on equal terms with other religions like Catholicism, Lutheranism, Judaism and Buddhism.
Chancellery Minister Josef Mayer said that the new regulations were very carefully drafted based on discussions with the country’s Muslim community and that the changes to the 1912 law on Islam were needed as “a lot has changed” since it was adopted, according to Austria Press Agency.
Foreign Affairs and Integration Minister Sebastian Kurz was more specific on the purpose of updating the law on Islam.
“If you don’t have orderly legal regulation… this can always bring dangers. In this sense, if you like this is maybe a part of prevention,” he told reporters, as cited by Reuters.
Categories: Austria, Awareness, Belief, Civil Rights, Europe and Australia
A ‘unified Koran’? Which translation are they going to ‘permit’? And what will happen to the others? ‘Bookburning’ a la Nazis? What will be the punishment for reading an ‘unauthorized translation’? Seems this legislation was not thought through correctly. (or wrong advice was received from ‘Muslim consultants’, who no doubt wanted their own translation to prevail).
We are all for ‘extremism prevention’, but this can be done in a different way, by checking the individual mosques. For instance instead of prohibiting funds from abroad a ‘permission proceedure’ could be established which when in doubt could prohibit the funding.
Solution: it seems to me that the Austrian Government should consult me before drafting this law. Common sense is required.
Yes, I second the writing of Rafiq sahib. The Austrian government should look at nearby German government and seek maximum advice before legislating anything in haste.
Would the Austrian government order that there should be only one version of Bible in the country? Is it possible??