Mikl-Leitner under fire: declaration of war on political Islam?

Mikl-Leitner under fire: declaration of war on political Islam?

The Lower Austrian governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) is the focus of sharp criticism due to her controversial statements in an ORF interview. She said that in the current economically challenging situation people had “no understanding of new elections” and emphasized the need for “concrete measures in the fight against Islam”. This latest statement has sparked a wave of outrage, particularly from the Islamic Religious Community in Austria (IGGÖ), which immediately demanded an apology oe24 reported.

Mikl-Leitner defended herself in her reaction by clarifying that her statements refer to political Islam. She emphasized that she has been campaigning against radicalization for years and rejects the misuse of religion for political purposes. In her statement, she pointed out the problems caused by immigrants unwilling to integrate and called for stricter laws from the next federal government to address these challenges. Helga Krismer, the spokeswoman for the Green Party in Lower Austria, described her comments as a “derailment” and warned of a political climate that is preparing the ground for the blue movement in the federal government OTS reported.

Expectations of clear distancing

The Turkish Cultural Community in Austria (TKG) also expressed concern about Mikl-Leitner's statements and expects her to clearly distance herself from her formulation. They emphasized that equal treatment of all religious communities in Austria must be maintained and considered the statement to be inappropriate, which could potentially lead to "political Islam" being incorrectly equated with the entire faith. This could have devastating effects on intercultural dialogue and social harmony in Austria.