Abstract
The article seeks to give an introduction into the situation of the country's Muslim population and the history of Austria's contact with Islam. It also gives an overview over the legal framework regulating the construction of mosques and minarets in Austria, where the growth of the Muslim population and, consequently, their need of places to practice their religion, raises new questions.
As in other European countries, projects to build visible mosques sometimes give rise to discussions in the population, often instrumental ized by specific political parties. Two Austrian Federal States have passed laws which, albeit they do not prohibit mosques and/or minarets explicitly, do contain clauses that could make the construction of Islamic buildings more difficult.