A lecturer at Bar Ilan University recently told a student to either put on a kippah (yarmulke) or leave his class, sparking a debate on the university’s Facebook page. Several friends of the student in question argued that requiring non-religious students to wear a kippah constitutes religious coercion.

Students at Bar Ilan are required to take courses in the basics of Judaism and Jewish faith. Male students must sign a form committing to wear a kippah during those classes out of respect for the Torah.

The university defended its policy, saying, “Just as it is customary to cover one’s head when entering a synagogue, so too with classes about similar matters.”