Principal of Islamic school stood down

The principal of a regional NSW Islamic school who once shared social media posts stating ″⁣Zionists should burn in the pits of hellfire″⁣ has been stood down while his conduct is investigated by the state’s school regulator.

New Madinah College in Young had until January 19 to provide evidence its principal, Sheikh Abdulghani Albaf, met fit and proper requirements or the NSW Education Standards Authority would consider cancelling the school’s registration.

On Friday, NESA said the evidence provided by the school did not satisfactorily address compliance concerns raised by the regulator.

“The principal will now stand aside while the investigation into his conduct is completed,” said a NESA spokesperson.

“NESA’s registration committee will consider the school’s submissions and make a determination in February regarding the fit and proper assessment of the principal,” said the NESA spokesperson.

“The safety and wellbeing of students is our highest priority.”

The evidence provided by the school will be assessed by the registration committee, made up of members of each school sector. The committee sits within NESA but is its own independent body.

It will deliver its verdict by mid-February.

Members will assess evidence including the school’s records of their fit and proper policies and processes, records of all responsible persons’ statutory declaration of fit and proper requirements, records of a school’s code of conduct for responsible persons, and records and implementation of a social media policy.

According to its website, New Madinah College teaches children the Koran, Arabic and fundamental Islamic values, as well as core subjects.

NESA last January became aware of comments allegedly made by Albaf on his personal social media accounts over several years.

In one post shared in December 2023, prior to his appointment, Albaf described Zionists as “absolutely worse than Nazis. The zionist terrorist regime is more devilish, evil and atrocious than any other terrorist in history”.

In 2024 he shared another status, stating: “May Allah destroy the Zionist terrorist regime”.

While the majority of posts were made before Albaf’s appointment to the school in 2024, NESA monitored the school due to its history of inconsistent compliance with registration requirements.

In mid-2025, while Albaf was principal, he made another post, prompting NESA to issue a show cause notice to the chair of New Madinah College’s board about the conduct of the school’s principal.

NESA was asked to provide examples of the post but was unable to do so due to an ongoing investigation. It confirmed the post triggered the show cause notice.

“As is the case for all schools, there is no tolerance for non-compliance with registration requirements, including the expectation that all responsible persons meet fit and proper requirements,” a NESA spokesperson said in a statement.

In a letter written in January 2025, the chair of the Young Muslim Association and chair of New Madinah College, Mohammed Barghachoun, defended Albaf’s record.

“Sheikh Abdulghani has consistently met all the necessary criteria for his position, including holding a valid Working with Children Check and maintaining a clear police record,” Barghachoun said.

He said the principal’s posts did not reflect his current conduct or values and has “shown no signs of racism or hatred”.

The Herald contacted Albaf, New Madinah College and the Islamic Schools Association of Australia for comment.

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