University student kicked out of class for refusing to remove hijab

Bar-Ilan lecturer apologizes for incident, will face disciplinary committee and apologize again in front of entire class

A lecturer at Bar-Ilan University kicked a student out of class last week after she refused to take off her hijab.

The incident occurred in the department for Middle East studies, Channel 2 reported Sunday, when the unnamed lecturer told one of the Arab women in his class to remove her head covering, or hijab.

The TV report said the student was asked to leave the classroom when she refused. It offered no explanation on why the professor had made the demand.

The teacher was reprimanded by the university management and apologized to the student. He is also expected to apologize to her again in front of the entire class, according to the report.

The lecturer will also face a university disciplinary committee hearing that will decide his professional future amid calls for him to be fired.

The other lecturers in the department were so incensed over the incident that they drafted a petition denouncing the act.

In a statement, the university management condemned the lecturer for his actions.

“The lecturer’s extraordinary and intolerable act completely contradicts the values of the university,” the statement read. “The lecturer recognized his mistake and apologized personally to the student. The university administration apologized to the student and severely rebuked the lecturer.”