"Thoughts of victims"

Muslims now fear abuse of their religion

Deep shock after the knife attack in Villach

(Bild: APA/GERD EGGENBERGER)

The grinning assassin from Villach has once again sparked discussions about Islam in Austria. The Islamic Federation (IF) now fears that their faith is being instrumentalized. Islam is in fact the "religion of peace".  

"The Islamic Federations condemn the terrorist attack in Villach in the strongest possible terms and our thoughts are with the victims and their families," the religious community announced in a statement on Monday morning in response to the Islamist terror in Villach.

The terror is an attempt to "abuse Islam, the religion of peace, once again". The IF rejects violence of any kind. "The aim of terrorists is to stir up fear, mistrust and hatred in society. For this reason, we appeal to our country's leaders and politicians to strengthen cohesion and move closer together."

Concern throughout Austria
It is therefore all the more important that terrorist intentions to divide society are not given political space and that religious communities are not condemned across the board. "The Islamic Federations are ready for any cooperation and collaboration to strengthen unity in society."

Who is the IF?

• The Islamic Federation is the Austrian section of the Turkish Milli Görüş movement.
• According to the University of Vienna, it runs 47 mosque facilities and other associations that are involved in youth and women's issues.
• After ATIB, the Islamic Federation is the Turkish-Islamic organization with the largest membership in Austria.

The knife attack caused consternation throughout Austria. The Islamic Religious Community (IGGÖ) also spoke of perfidious actions and a heinous act. "These acts of violence, which are committed with abusive reference to Islam, have nothing in common with the true values of our faith," emphasized IGGÖ President Ümit Vural.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, the perpetrator came to Austria in 2020. He was granted asylum. The fact that the suspect still had asylum status was due to the continuing unmanageable situation in Syria. After the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, numerous revocation proceedings were initiated.

Protection status of assassin is withdrawn
"However, the situation in Syria has not yet been conclusively clarified," said the ministry. Therefore, the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA) cannot make any final decisions for the time being, such as withdrawing protection status. In this specific case, however, the situation is clear: "The Syrian in question has committed a serious crime - a murder and several attempted murders. His protection status will therefore of course be withdrawn. However, before he can be deported, he must first serve his prison sentence," says the Ministry of the Interior.

The investigation into the Islamist-motivated terrorist attack in Villach, in which an asylum seeker from Syria killed a 14-year-old and seriously injured five other people, will continue at full speed on Monday. The debate on tightening asylum and migration policy is also likely to continue.