In a new step to monitor Muslims and marginalize their civil society organizations, the Austrian Minister of Integration has established a new center to document what he calls "political Islam", under the pretext of "fighting the dangerous ideology of political Islam."

Integration Minister Susan Raab, fellow country advisor Sebastian Kurtz, of the ruling Austrian People's Party, had offered to set up a documentation center with two experts.

The two experts were chosen - Muhannad Khorshid, a professor of sociology and Islamic religion, and Lorenzo Vidino, director of the extremism program at George Washington University - who considered the center a pioneering step in Europe.

Khorshid, who is widely recognized as a "moderate" Muslim, is known for his categorical support for the closure of mosques by the former far-right government of Austria, which was later considered by the Administrative Court to be illegal.

Vidino has often been used by the Kurtz-led government to support its claims against "political Islam", although it - or rather because it - has a dubious history with anti-Muslim networks.

Documentation and research

The alliance agreement between Al-Shaab and Al-Khader parties, presented last January, indicated the establishment of a "Research and Documentation Center for Anti-Semitism, Political Extremism with Religious Motivations (Political Islam) and Racism in the 21st Century."

But the only thing in this agreement that was not completed, was the creation of a center to actually monitor "political Islam", a term with a bad history in Austrian everyday politics and which the previous government used effectively.

With the People's Party's alliance with the far-right Austrian Freedom Party, the government imposed a ban on the headscarf on children in kindergartens, and attempted to close mosques and restrict the Arab Islamic community affiliated with the Islamic religious body, within 15 months of the alliance.

All these measures were legitimized by presenting them as a means to combat "political Islam."

Austrian Minister of Integration Suzanne Raab created a new center to counter political Islam (European)

Narrow and block

Anti-Muslim hostility reached such a point that the Secretary General of the ruling "People" Party even demanded that fasting be banned in schools, something previously unknown except in totalitarian communist societies.

As with the newly created center, which is financed by the Ministry of Integration with half a million euros, the government claims that all of these policies aim to protect Muslims themselves.

But if the veil is banned on the basis of fighting political Islam, what will this center monitor?

According to Rab, the center is there in order to "map the associations, look at the structures and ideologies behind them, find out which associations are good partners and which are not, and which ones will not receive any money."

The integration minister wants to have an annual report on so-called "parallel societies", which is just another name for an imagined "Muslim ghetto", which simply does not exist in Austria.

Exclusion of Muslims

As Raab said, this project is not directed against Islam, but rather aims to "combat the dangerous ideology of political Islam" and "contain extremism and foreign influences."

However, given the history of the People's Party's incitement against “political Islam,” it seems likely that the government will further exclude Muslims, especially those involved in civil society organizations.

Khorshid stated in a press conference that he believes that political Islam presents itself as a supporter of democracy and equality, while it has a hidden agenda.

As for the minister, she said, "Political Islam is a poison for our society and our social life, and it must be fought with all means."