Catholic Mass in Vienna disrupted by Arab teens shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’

VIENNA (LifeSiteNews) — Teenagers disrupted a Catholic Mass in Vienna by shouting “Allahu Akbar,” according to Austrian media.

On October 6, several young males disrupted a Catholic Mass in a parish church in western Vienna by loudly shouting “Allahu Akbar” (God is greater), an Arabic slogan frequently used by Muslims.

The parish priest told Austrian newspaper die Presse that he was concerned about the incident and did not want to give away the exact location of the church so as not to attract more potential disturbers. He said he first heard loud laughter and noise from the back of the church during Mass, followed by several shouts of “Allahu Akbar” that rang out throughout the building. He estimates the perpetrators to be around 14 or 15 years old and of Arab ethnicity. The group of teenagers quickly disappeared after disrupting the service.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this before. And I’ve been here for 20 years,” the priest said.

Despite the disturbance, the priest stressed that there was no actual threat at any point. “There was no danger; it wasn’t a threatening situation – I want to make that clear. It was probably just youthful exuberance,” he stated, adding that he would not file a police report because that would likely not yield any results.

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The priest said he spoke with another pastor from a different district in Vienna, who told him similar incidents have been occurring regularly in his parish.

The parish priest expressed his surprise and perplexity regarding the incident, given the fact that his parish has been supporting Muslim immigrants since 2015. The parish has helped them find housing, deal with government agencies, and provide German language courses. He said he maintains a good relationship with Muslim families in the area.

Like many other Western European cities, Vienna has seen a massive influx of Muslim immigrants, especially since the migration crisis of 2015. According to the latest data, 41.2 percent of students in elementary and middle schools (ages 6 to 14) in Vienna are Muslims, making up the largest religion in this age group. Christians make up 34.5 percent (17.5 percent Catholic and 14.5 percent Orthodox), while 23 percent have no religious affiliation.