Sydney student suspended from Year 12 for wearing Palestinian scarf

“I kept explaining that it was a cultural thing that I wear on special occasions, but they kept saying that I was making a political statement in a public school and I couldn’t do that,” the teen said.

“They said it wouldn’t be the smartest thing to do and that I wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of management so close to the end of the year.”

“This experience ruined my school memories. This should be a place where I feel safe and not judged for who I am, but I was wrong.”

A 17-year-old student at Condell Park High School.

Outside the venue, another employee refused to pose for a group photo with the teen unless he removed his scarf, the teen said.

Parents of other students asked staff to let him wear the scarf, and his family repeatedly told staff it was not a political statement but a cultural symbol to honor his Palestinian roots, he said.

Two weeks later, the teenager was called into a senior member of staff’s office and told he had been barred from attending his Year 12 graduation the following Thursday because of his decision to wear a scarf.

“This experience ruined my school memories,” the student said. “I’ve been going there since seventh grade. It was supposed to be a place where I felt safe and wouldn’t be judged for who I was, but I was wrong.”

Loading

The teen’s older sister, who attended the graduation ceremony, said the school’s treatment of her brother was outrageous, given that other students wore culturally significant clothing without incident.

“The keffiyeh is a garment that has been around for centuries and is worn by my family, grandparents, great-grandparents and many others in the Palestinian community,” she said.

“A public school system that is supposed to be an inclusive environment should not penalize children because of their cultural background.”

A NSW Department of Education spokesperson said in a statement: “The school will continue to work with the family and their legal representatives to resolve this matter.”

The teen’s lawyer filed a complaint with the Department of Education asking for a formal apology and an opportunity for him to attend the official event, and the department responded through its lawyers.

The teenager’s lawyer, Abdullah Reslan of the Kings Law Group, declined to comment on the details of the complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission, but said: “There are state and federal laws that protect society from racial discrimination.

“Schools should be examples of these standards and a safe place for children,” Reslan said.

“It is alarming that taxpayers’ money is being spent on lawyers to prevent an innocent boy from attending a formal event with his peers in these circumstances.”

Speaking specifically about the keffiyeh, Anas Iqtait, a lecturer at the Australian National University, said it is a cultural garment that has been worn for thousands of years.

“Palestinians wear it during important celebrations such as graduations, weddings, national holidays and family reunions,” Iktait said.

“Since the 1960s, it has also acquired a political symbolic status as a kind of symbol of Palestinian liberation, but this does not detract from the fact that it also continues to be cultural clothing and does not express political statements, but because they are what they are.” .

Loading

Green Party member Abigail Boyd said her office had received several reports of teachers and students being banned from wearing keffiyehs or Palestinian flag patches on their bags due to a Department for Education communiqué entitled “Supporting the school community during the current conflict.” in the Middle East.” sent to schools in November 2023, which advised schools to take a “neutral position.”

Boyd’s office warned schools that such an interpretation of the department’s guidance risks legal problems.

“This is an attempt to erase a person’s culture while he allows other students to express theirs,” Boyd said.

“It sends a message to kids that some places you shouldn’t come from.”

At a budget hearing in August, Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Prue Car and department secretary Murat Dizdar acknowledged the guidance needed to be reviewed.

In November 2023, Kar criticized teachers for displaying pro-Palestinian signs and wearing keffiyeh scarves in public schools, saying that classrooms “are not a place for political activism.”

Start off That day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and ideas. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.