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A Saskatoon teen says she wants her high school to apologize after a staff member removed her keffiyeh-inspired scarf during a Grade 12 graduation ceremony.
The incident at Centennial Collegiate’s June 23 ceremony was captured on video and widely shared, garnering 16.6 million views on TikTok as of Friday afternoon.
Shaimaa Al Jamous told CBC News her moment of celebration and support for Palestinian people turned sour as she was given her diploma.
“I had my keffiyeh on that represents Palestinian culture and identity, and my principal removed it off me without my permission or consent,” Al Jamous said in an interview. “I do have a deep connection to them as a person coming from war and I feel them and know what they go through.”
In the video, Al Jamous, an 18-year-old originally from Syria, is seen putting on the scarf as she walks on stage. When she pauses for a photo, principal Wendy Benson quickly removes it as the photo is taken and hands it back as Al Jamous walks away.
In a statement emailed to CBC News, Saskatoon Public Schools said the now-retired principal and her family have received “a significant amount of abuse, harassment, and personal attacks” since the incident. She retired at the end of the school year, according to Saskatoon Public Schools.
School staff reached out to Al Jamous after the ceremony, according to the statement.
“The student indicated that she did not see the value in further discussion at that time. That invitation remains open, and we remain willing to meet with her,” the statement said.
Shaimaa Al Jamous defied her high school’s policy that prohibited alternative items on graduation gowns in order to show her support for Palestinian people. Centennial Collegiate’s principal removed the Keffiyeh-inspired scarf on stage at the June 23 ceremony.
Al Jamous said in a text message on Friday that she never received an invitation to meet and is unsure if she would accept one.
Brian Pfefferle, a lawyer representing Benson, sent a statement to CBC late Friday afternoon.
“This is a very concerning matter in which a student has chosen to advance false allegations and present a false version of events,” it said.
While not a traditional keffiyeh — the garment often seen at pro-Palestinian protests — the scarf in the video featured the familiar black and white check pattern with additional Palestinian-themed graphic designs and words.
“I chose to wear my keffiyeh to acknowledge the people, the Palestinians that couldn’t go to school,” Al Jamous said. “Wearing it was how I wanted to celebrate that moment, but that was taken away from me. Looking back at it, I feel so hurt and shocked that that happened to me.”
Saskatoon Public Schools said staff spoke to Al Jamous prior to the graduation ceremony.
“The expectations for the graduation ceremony were communicated to students both verbally and in writing in advance of the event, and the student was reminded shortly before going on stage that the scarf she was wearing was not permitted on stage,” according to the statement.
“When she proceeded to produce the scarf on stage despite those reminders, it was removed so that the ceremony expectations, which had been established and communicated to all graduates, could be applied consistently.”
Each public school has its own rules for attire and items allowed on stage during graduation ceremonies, but exceptions are made for some ceremonial items and First Nations, Métis and Inuit graduates can wear division-issued Indigenous stoles.
“I think a woman did come up to me but the way she looked at me and said that, [it] felt like I was getting silenced,” Al Jamous said. “In that moment it was the right thing for me because I wanted to represent.”
The statement from Benson’s lawyer defended her record as an educator.
“Mrs Benson has long supported a welcoming environment conducive to understanding and respect. The videos have led to considerable harassment of Mrs. Benson and her family,” the statement said.
“Mrs. Benson is not in the least bit concerned about the propriety of her actions on the date in question and looks forward to the truth coming forward.”
Shaimaa Al Jamous defied her high school’s policy that prohibited alternative items on graduation gowns in order to show her support for Palestinian people. Centennial Collegiate’s principal removed the Keffiyeh-inspired scarf on stage at the June 23 ceremony.
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