Ostarrichislam. Gründe der korporatistischen Hereinnahme des Islams in der Zweiten Republik

Austria is one of the very few Western European countries that has incorporated Islam in its polity. This laid the basis for a 'liberal Islam-Politics' as can be seen with the fact that there are no bans for the hijab such as is the case in Germany, Belgium or France. In political science and legal studies literature, this is mainly explained by referring to the legal recognition of Islam by the 1912 Islam bill. The assumption that path dependency explains the nature of incorporation of Islam into the political system of Austria, is standing to reason. This article shows that the theory of historical institutionalism cannot explain why the Islamic Council was recognized in 1979 as a corporate body, representing today one of 16 legally recognized churches and religious communities. I argue that the theory of political opportunity structures helps explaining, why the Islamic Council was recognized in 1979.