Two girls tried to burn the headscarf of a female Muslim classmate

Alert DateSeptember 30, 2009 Country: Austria Address: Graz General Type: Racist violence Racism and discrimination phenomena: Islamophobia
Groups affected / Interested in: Muslims Key socio-economic/institutional areas: Education
Victims Data
Victims Nationality/Ethnic Origin Austrian
Victims Gender Female
Victims Age <17
Victims Number 1
Fatalities - deaths N/A
Perpetrators Data
Perpetrators Nationality/Ethnic Origin Austrian
Perpetrator Gender Female
Perpetrator Age <17
Perpetrators Number 2
Extremist/Organised Group Violence No

During a school trip, two girls tried to burn the headscarf of a female Muslim classmate. The fringes of the headscarf were damaged, the scarf itself did not catch fire. After talking to the girls, the school principal and the Landesamt für Verfassungsschutz und Terrorismusbekämpfung (LVT) [Regional Agency for the Protection of the Constitution and Counter-Terrorism] ruled out religious motives for the act and declared that it was just a harmless fight. The spokeswoman of the Islamische Glaubensgemeinschaft (IGGiÖ) [Islamic Faith Community] stated that although it might have been just a normal fight between school girls the incident should not be played down. She said that presumably the two aggressors had been aware of the symbolic character of the act. Since the two girls had not been ready to apologise to the victim, they were suspended from the school and charged for attempted bodily harm.

Sources:

http://diepresse.com/home/panorama/oesterreich/512168/Kopftuch-von-Schuelerin-angesengt_Kritik-an-Schule (2011-10-12)

http://derstandard.at/1253808141799/Graz-Schuelerinnen-zuendeten-Kopftuch-von-Mitschuelerin-an (2011-10-12) 

Helping Hands Graz (2010) Jahresbericht 2009, p. 23, available at: http://helpinghands.htu.tugraz.at/2009.pdf (2011-10-12).