Adalah Files Lawsuit Against Bar-Ilan University’s Decision to Prevent a Student from Continuing Her Studies Following Her Decision to Wear a Niqab

Adalah filed a lawsuit on 17 November 2025 to the Tel Aviv District Court requesting the annulment of Bar-Ilan University’s decision to prevent student Hala Odeh, an undergraduate optometry student, from continuing her studies following her decision to wear a niqab. On 4 May 2025, the university informed Ms. Odeh that she was forbidden from attending classes or being present on campus as long as she wore the niqab, citing concerns related to “quality of instruction,” “educational and social interaction,” and “identification for security and academic requirements.” Despite the plaintiff’s efforts to find a proportionate solution, the university insisted on excluding her solely because of her attire. The lawsuit was filed by Adalah Attorney Lubna Tuma.

The lawsuit states that Ms. Odeh made a personal decision during her studies to begin wearing the niqab as a means of expressing her religious identity. “As she explains, the first weeks of classes after she began wearing the niqab proceeded normally. No objections were raised by lecturers or students, and she continued to attend and participate in classes as usual. She even delivered a personal presentation to her class on the meaning of the niqab for her, its religious origins, and the way it helps her feel present. The presentation was warmly received, applauded, and led to an open and supportive discussion within the class.”

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The lawsuit further notes that during this period “no academic difficulty arose from her wearing the niqab, and no complaints were made by any party regarding her niqab. There was no disruption to teaching and no difficulty relating to identification given the plaintiff’s full willingness to identify herself to a female staff member. Therefore, the university’s decision lacks any factual basis.”

The lawsuit also included examples from other academic institutions in Israel, in which women who wear the niqab study in a regular manner without any disruption to normal academic procedures. These examples, submitted through affidavits, demonstrate that other colleges and universities allow full integration of women who wear the niqab, using simple identification procedures. This supports the claim that proportionate alternatives exist—alternatives that Bar-Ilan University failed to consider.

Legally, Attorney Toma emphasized that Bar-Ilan University’s decision violates Ms. Odeh’s constitutional rights, including her rights to dignity, autonomy, and freedom of expression, and is based on clear discrimination tied to the plaintiff’s gender and religious identity. This was done without any legal authority permitting such a harmful measure: “There is no legal basis for an academic institution to prevent a student from attending classes due to her religious appearance. No law authorizes an institution of higher education to restrict religious dress or to condition access to higher education on the relinquishing of religious or identity-based expression. Therefore, the university’s action constitutes a clear over-reach of authority and must be reversed.”

The plaintiff, Hala Odeh, stated, “For me, my religious identity is not a detail but an essential part of my dignity and my being, a red line I am not willing to allow anyone to violate. Bar-Ilan University’s decision directly harms these values and a basic right guaranteed to every student. Our struggle is not only legal but moral: defending our right to practice our faith freely within the academic environment, without fear and without discrimination. We will continue to stand firmly against any attempt to impose policies that reject our religious identity or minimize our presence, because respect for religion is, first and foremost, respect for the human being.”

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