“MUSLIM IN AUSTRIA ARE ANGRY OVER ISLAM MAP”: DO YOU THINK SUCH TYPE OF INCIDENT CAN CREATE AN ISLAMOPHOBIA OR IS IT A BETTER STEP FOR SECURITY?

In May 2021, the Integration Minister of Austria launched a website named the “National Map of Islam” which discloses the names and locations of more than 600 mosques, associations, and offices along with their links abroad. The compilation of the map was a combined effort of the University of Vienna and the Documentation Centre of Political Islam. The introduction of this map has caused uproar in the Muslim community of Austria and the government has been facing a backlash since then.

It is evident that the controversial ‘anti-terror law bill and the Islam map is a consequence of the November 2020 Vienna attack where a 20-year-old Islamist terrorist killed 4 people and injured 20, within a year of being released from jail.^[1] Before the 2020 Vienna attack, Samuel Paty, a teacher in Paris was beheaded by some Islamist extremists for showing cartoons of Prophet Mohammed. It was later found that the 18-year-old killer was in contact with a Russian jihadist in Syria.^[2] Several similar incidents have taken place in the European nations in the past decade and thus, the Austrian government aims to bring changes to their anti-terror laws to prevent such attacks in the future.

After the anti-terror law bill, the introduction of the Islam map has received a lot of criticism for being a threat to the Muslim community of Austria and also for being discriminatory. In defense, the Integration Minister, Susanne Raab insisted that the aim of the map was not to place the Muslim community in general under suspicion but was to fight extremist political ideologies.^[3] Even the anti-terror law bill focuses to counter ‘religiously motivated extremism’. Under the anti-terror law bill, Chancellor Kurtz moved five proposals to the Parliament, namely, the power to jail terrorists for life or until they are de-radicalized, electronic surveillance of convicted terrorists, criminalization of religiously motivated political extremism, a simpler process to shut down mosques involved in radicalizing people and preventive detention for people previously convicted of terror offenses. These proposals might encroach upon the fundamental rights of the citizens and thus, they need to be contemplated and implemented only with strict checks and balances to prevent blatant abuse of power by the ruling government. Moreover, any law passed by the Parliament must comply with the rules laid down in the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR).^[4]

The Islam Map is a step forward after the anti-terror law bill, to track down the mosques involved in radicalizing people but is surely not the perfect step for the security of the nation. Introducing a map showing the location of all Muslim associations or mosques around the nation is not a rational step to counter-terrorism or religiously motivated extremism. With absolutely no evidence on whether all the mosques or associations are involved in radicalization, targeting them and making their locations public is more of a threat to the nation. The associations or mosques which might not be involved in radicalization or extremist activities could be a target of Islamophobic attacks.

Without any concrete proof of whether these associations are promoting extremist ideas or assisting terrorists, this map could pose a threat to the lives of people of the Muslim community in general. Within a week of the release of the Islam map, racist attacks against the Muslim community have risen. Posters like “Beware! Political Islam nearby" were hung outside mosques in various cities.^[5] This has instilled a sense of fear in the Muslim community of Austria as every person belonging to the community now comes under the ambit of suspicion even though only a few might be involved in extremist activities. This can also develop a sense of hatred for Islam among the general public.

Instead of releasing the locations of all mosques and associations, the government must take measures to determine the mosques and associations which are involved in extremist activities and have been in contact with convicted terrorists and thus focus on shutting down such mosques or associations which can pose a threat to the security of the nation. A similar action was taken after the 2020 Vienna attack where a mosque and an Islamic association which were frequented by the 20-year-old killer were shut down after a meeting with Umit Vural, the President of Austria’s Islamic Faith Community.^[6] This should be followed only after proper inquiry to make sure that there is no encroachment on people’s fundamental right to religion.

Thus, it seems like the Islam map was released without prior contemplation about its adverse effects on the security of the nation. It would be rational on the government’s part to take down the Islam map to maintain the peace and security of the nation and to prevent anti-Islamist attacks in the country. The government must focus on security measures like surveillance of convicted terrorists and determination of associations or mosques involved in the radicalization of people or extremist activities. These steps must be adopted with the understanding that they are reasonable and do not infringe on anyone's basic human rights.

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