Public schools signal ‘cultural’ Palestinian scarf can be worn following accusations of racism

NSW’s Education Department has recognised the Palestinian keffiyeh as an appropriate cultural garment after reaching a confidential settlement with a student who had been punished because he wore the scarf to his graduation.

The department said it regretted the experience of Jad Salamah, a former student at Condell Park High School in south-western Sydney, who said he was humiliated and felt distraught after staff members demanded he remove his scarf depicting the keffiyeh pattern and the Palestinian flag in September 2024.

Salamah was not permitted to attend his Year 12 formal after he refused to remove the symbol of his Palestinian heritage.

The then 17-year-old began legal proceedings against the state of NSW, alleging racial discrimination, which the state denies.

The parties reached a confidential settlement, according to an agreed statement published on its website, in which the department said it embraced cultural diversity, and listed the keffiyeh among examples of garments students can wear “appropriate to their culture” on Harmony Day to mark “a time of cultural respect and celebration” and Year 12 formals.

“This includes the wearing of cultural garments, including, but not limited to, the Hanbok, Idio, Kaftan, Keffiyeh, Kilt, Tallit, Yukata, cultural headdress, feather cloaks and garlands,” the statement read.

The spokesperson did not respond to questions regarding whether people with no Palestinian heritage would be permitted to wear a keffiyeh, but said “schools are not the place for political activism”.

“Using cultural items as political symbols can undermine the inclusive nature of our school communities,” the statement said.

Salamah’s solicitor, Abdullah Reslan of Kings Law Group, said: “Jad appreciates the department’s embrace of all cultures within the education system, including the equal respect and celebration of cultural attire.”

NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president David Ossip said he was concerned by the department’s decision.

“Whilst every student should feel free to express their cultural identity, there is a widespread and sensible consensus that our schools shouldn’t become political battlegrounds,” he said.

“It is not appropriate for cultural symbols or attire to be weaponised in our classrooms for political purposes or to express views about contentious foreign conflicts.

“At a time of strained social cohesion, schools need to be environments in which Australian kids of all backgrounds feel welcome and comfortable.”

At the time of Salamah’s graduation, donning symbols of support for Gaza triggered deep ruptures within institutions, as well as warnings that public schools could be exposed to legal risk for banning keffiyehs and other markers of Palestinian solidarity following a department communique advising schools to reflect “a neutral position”.

A report released in September, compiled by the Australian Palestinian Advocacy Network documented a rise in anti-Palestinian racism within schools.

APAN Anti-Palestinian Racism Project lead Nour Salman said the situation had worsened in many cases. The anti-Palestinian register has received 250 incidents since November 2025, including vandalism, physical violence, dehumanisation, exclusion and silencing.

“Over the past two years, far too many Palestinian students have been made to feel that their identity is controversial, dangerous or inappropriate,” Salman said. “Some have been told not to speak about Gaza, not to wear Palestinian symbols, and not to express grief for their families.

“For Palestinian families watching their loved ones being killed and starved in Gaza in real time, being told their culture is inappropriate in a school is devastating.”

Salman said schools must ensure that staff understand Palestinian identity and cultural expression, with clear guidance that Palestinian symbols, history and political expression are not grounds for discipline.

Greens MP Abigail Boyd said the department’s statement amounted to admitting that stopping Palestinian students from wearing a keffiyeh was racism.

“It gives hope to those kids who have been told that wearing a keffiyeh is not an expression of their culture, and is something divisive or synonymous with terrorism,” Boyd said.

Following his graduation, Salamah said the experience had ruined his high school memories.

“I’ve been going there since I was in year 7. It’s supposed to be a place where I feel safe, and I’m not judged for who I am, but I was wrong,” he said.

Condell Park High School had a long tradition of encouraging students to wear symbols representing their cultural heritage. Salamah’s sister said she had given him the centuries-old symbol of his Palestinian heritage to mark the pinnacle of his schooling.

But Salamah said staff members told him to take off the scarf and accused him of making a political statement.

“I kept explaining that it’s a cultural thing that I wear on special occasions,” he said.

The department’s spokesperson said: “All students and staff at all schools have the right to feel safe, secure and supported when they attend school

“We know many students and staff have been deeply affected by recent events, including the antisemitic terrorist attack at Bondi and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.”

The Albanese government set up an antisemitism education taskforce, led by education expert David Gonski, in response to the Bondi Beach terror attack.