As Austrian schoolchildren shuffled back to class this week, they were greeted not just by fresh notebooks and stern teachers, but by a brand-new law with a very specific sense of fashion policing: girls under 14 are now officially banned from wearing headscarves in any public or private school in the country.

The law, which targets "traditional Muslim" head coverings like hijabs and burkas, was championed by Integration Minister Claudia Bauer of the conservative People's Party (ÖVP). Bauer described the headscarf as "a sign of oppression and a means of controlling girls from the earliest childhood," which is certainly one way to frame a piece of cloth. Critics, however, see it as a rather unsubtle way of stoking anti-Muslim sentiment, and possibly running afoul of the constitution - a minor detail, presumably.

The ban was cooked up by the conservative-led coalition of the ÖVP, the Social Democrats (SPÖ), and the liberal Neos, who insist it's a "clear commitment to gender equality" designed to protect young girls. Because nothing says empowerment like telling a 6-year-old what she can't wear to school.

Carla Amina Baghajati of the official Islamic Community in Austria (IGGÖ) told the BBC the organisation "firmly opposes the ban," arguing it "unjustifiably restricts the fundamental right to freedom of religion and disproportionately affects Muslim girls." She added that rather than protecting children, the law "singles out a specific religious practice and risks excluding the very children it claims to support." The IGGÖ has pledged to back legal challenges from families who feel their rights are being trampled, potentially bringing cases before the Constitutional Court - a court that, in a shocking twist, previously struck down a similar ban on headscarves in primary schools in 2020 for violating Austria's religious neutrality. But who pays attention to precedent?

Teachers are now tasked with enforcing the ban by spotting headscarf-wearing students and engaging in a series of talks with them and their guardians. If violations persist, child services get involved, and guardians could face fines up to €800 (£685). Because nothing builds trust like threatening to fine parents for their child's attire.

Unsurprisingly, teachers are thrilled about their new role as fashion police. Sigi Maurer of the Green Party accused Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr (Neos) of "creating new conflicts and offloading them onto the teachers," who are "already under enormous strain." She suggested Wiederkehr wants to "foist the role of police officers onto them," which is presumably not in the job description.

Meanwhile, the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) thinks the ban is far too lenient. They're pushing for a complete prohibition on headscarves and face coverings for students and teachers alike. Ricarda Berger declared there's "no place for political Islam in Austria, and certainly not in our schools," while Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) has called for a constitutional ban on political Islam, telling ORF he doesn't "want to live in an Islamic state." Subtle.

Austria joins a European club of headscarf-banners, though with its own twist. France has banned all conspicuous religious symbols in schools for over two decades, but Austria's law uniquely targets Muslim women's head coverings. And like France, Belgium, and Denmark, Austria already bans full-face veils (niqabs or burkas) in public.

Baghajati lamented a "troubling trend" across Europe "in which complex social challenges are reduced to symbolic measures aimed at minority groups." Such approaches, she said, "may generate political attention, but they rarely solve the underlying problems." But hey, who needs solutions when you can have a good headline?