Big trouble for the FPÖ

Question to Interior Minister: Silence on Islamism

The converted girls would only leave the house wearing a full face veil

(Bild: APA-PictureDesk/Frank Rumpenhorst / dpa / picturedesk.com)

How many girls have already converted to Islam? A response to an inquiry to the Ministry of the Interior on the subject of radicalized girls was more than meagre. The document does not contain any concrete figures, many questions remain unanswered - the FPÖ is annoyed about this.

Michael Tischlinger, head of the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counterterrorism, is said to have described the radicalization of young girls as the "greatest current concern" in the "Extremism" subcommittee. Further details of an oral report from November 2024: The young, local girls are usually approached on the internet by representatives of radical Islam and then married off. Several pregnancies are said to have already resulted from these relationships.

Specific questions
This information prompted the FPOÖ to submit a parliamentary question to "still Interior Minister" Gerhard Karner on December 12 of the previous year. In it, the "Blue Party" wanted to know, among other things, how many girls in the federal states had already converted to Islam, how many of them were already married and whether children had been born from these relationships. The Ministry of the Interior (BMI) was also asked to answer how exactly the recruitment attempts were carried out and what preventative measures the BMI planned to take against them.

No figures disclosed
This was also one of the few points that was addressed at all in the response to the question. "The implementation of campaigns regarding recognized religious communities does not fall within the remit of the Federal Ministry of the Interior", was the brief statement. However, the document contains no figures at all.

Not a single specific question was answered, even though there are tragic fates of families and real dangers behind this topic. The Minister of the Interior is clearly not taking them seriously.

Herwig Mahr, Klubobmann FPOÖ

In response to the questions "According to information from the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence Service (DSN), how many people are currently actively recruiting for the 'Islamic State' or at which schools have there already been (successful) recruitment attempts?", the only answer is that "corresponding statistics are not kept." Club chairman Herwig Mahr sees a "security policy scandal. We wanted to know the details and background."

German Islamism expert Ahmad Mansour has been warning of radicalization on social platforms for years. "To put a stop to this, the state must monitor this space better and intervene," says the Israeli-born expert, who is under personal protection.