Islam and muslims in Austria

Abstract

Austria is characterized as inclusive in terms of the governance of religion and thus often described as a best-practice model for the incorporation of religious minorities, particularly Muslims. This assessment is based on the principle of equal treatment of all legally acknowledged religious communities and the rights and resources they are entitled to. The legal recognition of Islam in Austria roots in a law of 1912, which Muslim immigrants who came to Austria following the guest worker recruitment of the 1960s and 1970s referred to when they founded an Islamic Community. Since 1979, the Islamic Religious Community in Austria (IGGiÖ, ‘Islamische Glaubensgemeinschaft in Österreich’) has been serving as the official representative body of Muslims in Austria.