In the middle of the fasting month of Ramadan, a new trend is emerging at Austria's schools: Muslim students are adhering to fasting more strictly than ever, sometimes to the point of physical collapse.

"Fasting Brings Me to Paradise": Muslim Students Observe Ramadan More Strictly Than Ever

However, not every child can cope with it. Teachers report circulatory problems, concentration difficulties, and increasing aggressiveness. It is particularly noticeable that more and more children under the age of 14 are abstaining from food and drink all day – even though the religious requirement actually applies only to adults.

Religion is more important than school, says a Muslim student from Graz in a BLICKWECHSEL interview: "I don't know what school brings us, okay it brings us so that we can earn money later, but religion brings us to paradise." And another student reports: "I only slept for four hours, then I got up, then prayed, then ate, then only slept for another hour, then school."

Peer Pressure: Ramadan Debate at Schools Intensifies

"Physical education is often out of the question," reports a teacher from Vienna. "They have circulatory problems, they get stomachaches, they become generally bad-tempered. So their mood is also at a low point. This should not be underestimated. Sometimes they also become very active and aggressive and easily lash out at other children, especially those who are not fasting. It is becoming more common now that students who fast admonish others to fast as well."

The Graz school psychologist Josef Zollneritsch also confirms: "We have also been informed of individual cases where Austrian children are encouraged to fast, so to speak. This is due to reasons of belonging and a certain peer pressure."

Stricter Measures Against Fasting in Children Demanded

Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr (NEOS) is now calling for stricter consequences for parents whose children fast. A recent OGM survey for BLICKWECHSEL shows that 76 percent of the Austrians surveyed support this demand. The opinion on the fasting ban for children under 14 years is even clearer: 82 percent are in favor of it.

You can see the full report and all the results of the OGM survey in the ServusTV news magazine "BLICKWECHSEL" on March 19, 2025, live from 10:15 PM on ServusTV and on ServusTV On. Every Wednesday, Katrin Prähauser presents current research as well as exclusive surveys from the opinion research institute OGM.

(Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.