Court win for Islamic school principal clears way for return to job

A school principal in New South Wales may be able to return to his job after a court ruled in his favour. Sheikh Abdulghani Albaf leads New Madinah College, an Islamic school in the town of Young. He had been investigated over comments he allegedly made on social media that were considered antisemitic, meaning hateful toward Jewish people. A judge found that he was not given a fair chance to defend himself during the investigation.

Sheikh Albaf took two government bodies to court — the NSW Education Standards Authority, known as NESA, and the state's education minister. He challenged a decision that said he did not meet the requirements to serve as a school principal. The Supreme Court agreed with him, finding that the process used against him was unfair. His lawyer, Stephen Blanks, said his client was pleased with the outcome.

The investigation focused on posts made on a social media account under Sheikh Albaf's name over several years. The posts included comments about Zionism, a political movement connected to the Jewish faith. Both the NSW and federal education departments looked into the matter in 2025. NESA then warned the school in February that it could lose its registration if Sheikh Albaf was not removed from his role.

Acting Justice Monika Schmidt AM made the court ruling. She found that NESA and its Registration and Accreditation Committee had not treated Sheikh Albaf fairly. They reached their findings without giving him a chance to respond before a decision was made. She said the committee's decision must be set aside and reviewed again.

Justice Schmidt noted that Sheikh Albaf had stepped down from his role in January, though he still held the title of principal without pay. She said he had promised not to make any more social media posts, and he had kept that promise. The investigation had started after media questions arose following the December 2025 Bondi attack. The judge also noted that Sheikh Albaf accepted he had used inappropriate language in some of his posts.

The case is not completely over. If the committee reviews the situation again and still recommends the school lose its registration, both Sheikh Albaf and the school will have the right to challenge that new decision. NESA said it acknowledged the Supreme Court's ruling. The board of New Madinah College had not yet made a public comment at the time of the report.