Mother hands burqa to primary school teacher

The Islamic faith is increasingly becoming a problem in schools, as a current example from everyday life at a Viennese elementary school clearly demonstrates. Teachers are often helpless.

At Viennese schools, it is not only the increasing number of non-German-speaking pupils that poses challenges for teachers, but also the cultural differences that often lead to conflicts in the classroom.

This also applies to the Felbigergasse elementary school in Penzing, where the majority of children’s families are Muslim. On parents’ consultation day, a teacher experienced an extremely unusual incident: the mother of one of her pupils presented her with a burqa. The young teacher had not expected this action to take place. However, she did not want to start a discussion and reluctantly accepted the “gift”. She will certainly not use it to dress and cover herself.

Unfortunately, this is not the first negative experience with the Islamic faith. Recently, one of her students, who is older than the rest of the class, formed a circle during recess and read from the Quran to his classmates. At first, I was pleased that the children were willing to read. “Then I heard Arabic words,” says the class teacher.

When she inspected the spine of the book more closely, her initial delight at the exemplary action unfortunately quickly turned to displeasure. The boy was reading from the Quran! Alarmed, the teacher confiscated the Quran. The young woman made a courageous decision, even though a whole clan had once stood outside the teachers’ room and tried to intimidate her.

The story about the burqa gift to a teacher at the Felbigergasse elementary school in Vienna-Penzing sparked fierce debate. When she turned to the public, she was defamed “in return”. The teacher defended herself: “I am not a liar!”. The teacher intervened and finally turned to the public. She spoke to the “Krone”, but wanted to remain anonymous. For her own protection.

I am not a liar. The burka hangs in my wardrobe at home. Why would I think up something like that and buy myself such misogynistic clothing?

The gifted teacher

How does she know that? That’s what the principal said. And the parents’ association also wants to know that the incidents did not happen, calling it a “fantasy essay”. But the teacher defends herself: “I’m not a liar. The burqa hangs in my cupboard at home.” Other teachers also see problems.

However, the courageous woman is not alone. In recent weeks, the “Krone” has published many articles after talking to teachers about the situation in Vienna’s schools. It was reported that executions according to Sharia practice were practiced in classes and that pigs and rainbows must be seen as enemy images. It was also reported that young moral guardians (Sharia police) are up to mischief in Vienna’s schools.

Even the police and the Office for the Protection of the Constitution reported an increase in reports, Islam influencers and anti-Semitic cases among pupils. Following the report on burqas, the “Krone” once again conducted a survey among teachers.
Result: “Such reports are not surprising. It is unbelievable that the Education Directorate obviously has no knowledge of such incidents! When the teacher turned to the public, she was defamed “in gratitude”. Why the Directorate of Education is lying and denying everything remains a mystery.