We stand in solidarity with Mr El-Haj, a respected Palestinian teacher at our school who has suffered from racial discrimination from the administration of SGHS and the NSW Department of Education after wearing his keffiyah, a traditional garment representing his heritage. On May 15th 2024, he was asked to remove this garment by the principal of SGHS despite NSW education laws stating you cannot discriminate based on race. 

It is deeply concerning that, in a school that prides itself on being multicultural, a teacher would be made to feel unwelcome simply for expressing his cultural identity. We believe that Mr El-Haj should be able to wear his keffiyah, without fear of discrimination or backlash.

We are calling on the school and NSW Education to issue a formal apology to Mr El-Haj for the discriminatory treatment he faced and allow him —  anyone to have the ability for cultural expression.