As of: March 7, 2024, 11:25 a.m
By: Moritz Bletzinger
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Colorful lights for the Islamic month of fasting in Vienna?
This is what the SÖZ party wants, but the proposal is facing strong headwinds.
Vienna – Quite normal at Christmas: festive lights and illumination in the city centers.
But if it's not about Christian traditions, things usually get dark.
The small party SÖZ from Austria would like this to change in the capital Vienna.
Proposal stirs up emotions in Austria: small party wants Ramadan lighting in Vienna
London showed the way last year and Frankfurt installed Ramadan lighting for the first time in Germany in 2024.
So why not in Vienna too?
After all, 200,000 Muslim believers live there, the second largest community in the Austrian capital after the Roman Catholics.
Clearly in front of the congregation of Protestant Christians (40,000 believers) “This is not just about celebrating the diversity of the city, but also about promoting tolerance and cohesion,” says SÖZ chairman Hakan Gördü to
Vienna.at
.
“Happy Ramadan” in Frankfurt: Stars and crescents decorate the city center – a similar proposal is causing discussions in Vienna.
© Boris Roessler/picture alliance/dpa
“It would be a nice sign of peaceful coexistence,” says the spokeswoman for the Islamic Religious Community (ICGÖ), Valerie Mussa, at
meine.at
.
However, the SÖZ proposal is not well received by the city of Vienna and large parts of the party world.
Ramadan proposal from Vienna causes a stir in Austria: FPÖ complains about “provocation”
“I see this regular advance as pure provocation that must be condemned in the strongest terms,” FPÖ politician Stefan Berger said in a broadcast.
The party declares that the proposal to “deface the streets of Favoriten (10th district in Vienna) with Ramadan lighting will also be clearly rejected this year.” Last year, the motion “NO to Ramadan decorations” received votes adopted by the FPÖ, ÖVP and NEOS.
ÖVP Integration Minister Susanne Raab shared on X (Twitter).
She writes: “A Ramadan festival illumination in Vienna is out of the question for me.
In my opinion, the demand alone is a sign of misunderstood tolerance and a completely wrong signal.
People who come and live with us have to adapt to the values of the majority society and not the other way around.”
SPÖ politician fears negative reactions to Ramadan lighting in Vienna
The SPÖ politician and favorite district councilor Muhammed Yüksek is worried that the Ramadan lighting could have a negative impact.
He asks: “Would such an action make life easier for the Muslim population or make them more of a target?
Especially in a month where people just want to spend time with their families in peace.
My understanding of political responsibility is different.” Frankfurt has already experienced right-wing shitstorms for Ramadan decorations.
(moe)