Politicizing Islam in Austria

The Far-Right Impact in the Twenty-First Century

By Farid Hafez and Reinhard Heinisch

Rutgers University Press

Among its Continental peers, Austria has stood out for its longstanding state recognition of the Muslim community as early as 1912. A shift has occurred more recently, however, as populist far-right voices within the Austrian government have redirected public discourse and put into question Islam’s previously accepted autonomous status within the country.

Politicizing Islam in Austria examines this anti-Muslim swerve in Austrian politics through a comprehensive analysis of government policies and regulations, as well as party and public discourses. In their innovative study, Hafez and Heinisch show how the far-right Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) adapted anti-Muslim discourse to their political purposes and how that discourse was then appropriated by the conservative center-right Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP). This reconfiguration of the political landscape prepared the way for a right-wing coalition government between conservatives and far-right actors that would subsequently institutionalize anti-Muslim political demands and change the shape of the civic conditions and public perceptions of Islam and the Muslim community in the republic.

Hafez and Heinisch's book is a timely, important, and innovative contribution to studies on the role of Islam in politics, of religion in society, and the instrumentalization of Islam for right-wing and conservative political parties' aims. The case of Austria – a European pioneer of right-wing government participation – clearly explains the institutional and discursive conditions of the politicization of Islam in a right-wing and conservative environment. Birgit Sauer, professor emerita at the department of political science, the University of Vienna, Austria

This book on the politicization of Islam in Austria is timely as we see the rise populism and radical right in Europe. The authors provide a rich overview of how political parties in Austria, including mainstream parties, have changed their discourse on Islam. A sharp and up-to-date picture of Austrian politics, Hafez and Heinisch’s book is important for anyone interested in the relationship between religion and politics in contemporary Europe. Sarah Wolff, author of Secular Power Europe and Islam: Identity and Foreign Policy

FARID HAFEZ is the Class of 1955 Distinguished Visiting Professor of International Studies at Williams College in Massachusetts. He is an award-winning author and coeditor of several books, including The Rise of Global Islamophobia in the War on Terror: Coloniality, Race, and Islam.

REINHARD HEINISCH is a professor of comparative Austrian political science at the University of Salzburg. He is the author and coeditor of several books, including Understanding Populist Party Organization: The Radical Right in Western Europe.

Preface
List of Abbreviations

1 Introduction

2 The Context: Islam and the (Radical) Right in Austrian Politics

3 The Discourse about Islam

4 Legal Status of Islam

5 Muslim Headscarf— Austrian Culture War

6 The Security State

7 Attitudes and Perceptions of Austrian Voters toward Muslims

8 Conclusion

Acknowledgments
Notes
References
Index

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