Turkey's presidential spokesman on Friday slammed the Austrian authorities after Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced the expulsion of "several" foreign-funded imams and the closure of mosques in a bid to tackle "political Islam."
"Austria's decision to close down seven mosques and deport imams with a lame excuse is a reflection of the anti-Islam, racist and discriminatory populist wave in this country," Ibrahim Kalin tweeted.
He went on to blame Vienna for "ideologically charged practices" that violate human rights, adding that the "efforts to normalize Islamophobia and racism must be rejected under all circumstances."
Kurz's announcement was made after an inquiry into photos that were made in an Austrian mosque. The photos depicted boys wearing military uniforms, marching, saluting and carrying Turkish flags in a reenactment of the 1915-16 battle of Gallipoli, which saw the defeat of the allied forces by the Turks during World War I.
Moreover, the chancellor has opposed Turkey's accession to the EU, citing "systematic violations of human rights and essential democratic values" by Ankara.
Currently, about 100,000 Turkish citizens live in Austria.
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The relations between Austria and Turkey became strained after Vienna hampered Ankara's EU and NATO integration aims.
Subsequently, Ankara slammed Vienna for including the right-wing Freedom Party of Austria (FPO), known for its anti-immigration position, in its ruling coalition.