Religious rigidity in the halls of an Iraqi college: How do we escape the control of the “uncle” and the dean?
27 Jun 2024
I thought that university would be the first place where I would learn how to exercise my freedom as an adult. But here I am, about to graduate, and I’m still under everyone else’s thumb: the guard at university gates, the taxi driver, the security committee, the professors, and the classmate who thinks I should wear an abaya to be properly covered up.
“I became a grown-up, and I enrolled in college. No one could control me anymore.”
When I was accepted into the College of Education (within the University’s Department of Humanities), I imagined a world without borders or restrictions. I naively believed that college was the first step to freedom. I told myself: I am free here! But this thought quickly evaporated, along with my dreams of living in a society that accepts diversity.
What does it mean to be a student in the College of Education at the University of Basra?
Religious ceremonies within educational institutions
The year 2023 was the first year where I physically attended the university, even though I was a third-year student at the time. The COVID-19 pandemic deprived us of in-person education for two years.
“What’s going on today?” I asked my classmate, trying to find out what was happening on campus.
“We’re commemorating the martyrdom of (one of our) Imams. I got permission from the professor. I’m going to give water out to the guests.” I did not understand at the time how she could miss a lecture just to distribute water!
But when I entered the lecture hall, I saw that she was not the only one. Most of the students had asked for permission from the lecturer that day, saying, “Professor, we must attend! It’s the martyrdom of the Imam. You know…” The professor was not bothered by the low number of students attending his lecture. He was disturbed though, by his voice getting lost among the loudspeakers broadcasting a eulogy for the Imam praising his sacrifices.
At first, the professor resisted commenting. He wanted to keep lecturing without remarking on the noise from the loudspeakers. He couldn’t in the end though, since we literally could not hear his lecture. We asked him more than once to repeat what he had said about a romantic [era] poem in which the poet talks about his beloved.
“I mean, if we celebrate every group’s special day, we should celebrate the holidays of all groups. Or am I wrong?” The lecture hall was silent for a moment, since it was rare for a teacher to comment on such a topic. In a college characterised by its evidently sectarian nature, no one dared to protest.
The professor did not stop there and added, “This is an educational institution! All aspects of commemoration and mourning are supposed to happen outside its walls because it is a neutral institution.”
This comment sparked a response from a classmate wearing an abaya, a loose, two-piece garment often worn with the hijab. “Professor, it is something to be proud of that our college is commemorating such important ceremonies! This is the Imam! Other Islamic sects don’t have holidays like this one.”
I felt again that the atmosphere was tense and that an argument could erupt at any moment. But the professor laughed gently and said, “By the way, I am a Sayyid (direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammed) but as I told you this is a college not a Hussainia (a term associated with ceremonies linked to the mourning period in Muharram).” Then he returned to his romantic era poem – “The Solitary Reaper” written in 1807 by William Wordsworth in which the poet lyricises about a young woman he hears singing in verdant fields, carrying her voice in his heart everywhere – trying to complete the explanation before the chants of “May God avenge you, my lord!” rose up a second time.
This was neither the first nor the last mourning ritual of this kind.
Many colleges throughout Iraq, including the College of Education at the University of Basra, are famous for holding these types of mourning rituals and commemorating the births and deaths of Imams. The college deans are more than willing to host turban-wearing Islamic leaders to lecture on various topics.
In my second year, the head of the department introduced a lecture by a religious figure and encouraged the students to attend. However, no one showed up the next day.
The religious figure – a Sayyid – found only his committee of lecturers in attendance. That’s to say, there were no students in the audience for his lecture. This forced the department head to come to the adjacent hall, where another group from my grade was waiting for the poetry professor – one can see that poetry is always interrupted here. The department head then ordered them to go to the Science City Hall, where the religious figure was present, and attend the turbaned Sayyid’s lecture from its beginning to its end. Some students refused, saying that they did not like this type of lecture. The department head threatened to deduct attendance grades from the poetry class – even though he was not their assigned instructor and had no authority over their grades – if they did not join. He was not satisfied, so he recorded the names of all attendees to ensure they all stayed.
The college resists all manifestations of difference and encourages a single approach to create a community of individuals that are similar in every detail.
The abaya versus the hijab
The classmate who told the poetry professor that these ceremonies “arouse pride” had herself advised me that same month to follow the doctrine to the letter. “You see, our sect is easy and honorable, but we don’t understand it correctly! The abaya is a woman’s adornment and adds to her modesty.” I did not understand the reason behind her advice, especially since the timing was random. At that moment I was eating breakfast alone, wearing a white blouse, a black skirt and hijab, holding the modesty she was advising me to practice as close as possible. That day, I told her that I appreciated what she had to say, but that did not satisfy her. She kept insisting that she preferred girls who wore the abaya. This made me think that she was telling me in one way or another that, even though this was my sect since birth, I do not resemble it and do not express it adequately!
The college annually holds celebrations that encourage the wearing of the abaya not the wearing of the hijab, which does not actually need encouragement due to the small number of non-veiled women. Every year, a celebration is held that sings the praises of “the one wearing the abaya,” that is the woman who chooses the abaya to cover herself and increase her modesty because it is a symbol of honour and chastity. These celebrations incite the ostracisation of those who wear hijab without the abaya, and of course, all non-veiled women.
Diversity is absent from the College of Education at the University of Basra. There are less than ten non-veiled female students in the college, which consists of seven departments with the total number of students exceeding four thousand. The matter does not stop there. Often, if someone wants to refer to one of the students who is not veiled, they say, “the uncovered one,” “the one who is not veiled,” “the one with the hair” and other nicknames without saying the student’s actual name. It is as if the presence of a woman’s hair becomes a loss of her right to a personal identity.
Although direct targeting is rare, some professors – both women and men – express their dissatisfaction with non-veiled students and with veiled students who might let a portion of their hair fall out of the hijab by ignoring them or treating them harshly.
A classmate once told me that she felt hated by a lecturer who wore an abaya for showing the hair just above her forehead.
This was not the first or last classmate I heard the same story from.
A non-veiled student in one of the college departments said, “The professor in one of my classes at the time told me: ‘You are sweet, polite, and attractive. Why don’t you wear the hijab?’ After I answered her, I left and went outside to cry. I was very sad, but I got used to it.” This was not the first time the student, who preferred to remain anonymous, had faced this. One of the professors deliberately mentioned the hijab and women’s chastity during his lectures to indirectly motivate her to wear the hijab. Students and professors alike often referred to her as “the ewoman.”

Instructions issued by the Deanship of the College of Education for Human Sciences for college students
- Wearing tight pants is strictly prohibited, as are short shirts or blouses. Formal dress is required, only in colors allowed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. Violators are not allowed to enter the campus as these instructions were issued at the beginning of the year and the directives were continuous.
- A black shirt or blouse is allowed for internal department students following a previous arrangement as discussed with them.
- Going outside college during study periods is strictly prohibited, except when lectures end, unless official permission is obtained.
- Please note that the college is monitored by a network of cameras. We hope that students adhere to these regulations and laws and always behave in a polite and civilized manner.
- Any student – male or female – that violates these instructions will be prohibited from entering the university campus starting Sunday, 3/31/2024.
- Smoking is strictly prohibited inside rooms, halls, and all college corridors. The law will be strictly enforced against violators.
- We ask our students to benefit from these directives and adhere to them, and we hope that they will contribute to creating an ideal university environment that suits them and their College of Humanitarian Education first, and secondly their prestigious university, the University of Basra.
- Finally, we would like to remind everyone that dress and personal appearance must be consistent with a clean and respectful university environment.
Source – The official Instagram page of the College of Education for Humanities
Strict control over the “details” of female student’s bodies
It is noteworthy that the focus on raising religious standards and establishing a “sound and conservative” society depends on female students exclusively. This is demonstrated by the fact that the security committee of the College of Education has the right to comment on the clothing of each female student that enters, ignoring male students as long as they carry a college identity card. Up until the end of 2023 – when the new dean at the time modified some rules – the College of Education was known for its strict approach regarding female students’ dress code, strictly prohibiting wearing pants, which could even lead to dismissal. The inspection does not stop at the gate. The former dean used to ask a security committee member to stand near the female students’ bathroom to monitor and record the name of any female student who entered the bathroom wearing an abaya and left wearing pants. If they observed such a case, he would record the student’s name and ask her to sign a pledge stating that she would not violate the rules again. If a girl happened to break the pledge twice, she would face a disciplinary council and may end up being expelled!
The College of Education in the Karma Ali Complex is famous among all colleges for the difficulty of entry for female students from other colleges due to the restrictions on female students’ uniforms. No female student from any college can enter if she does not adhere to the required uniform. This is because the security committee prevents female student from other colleges from entering. The College of Education for Natural Sciences is similar, in some cases even worse, in its rules and strictness.
The situation changed at the beginning of the current academic year 2023-2024, when a new dean was appointed for the college. She found it ridiculous that the security committee was allowed such strange privileges. She took this right from them, and allowed the wearing of loose-fitting pants on campus if the uniform was campus appropriate.
Although the dean herself had given explicit permission for students to wear pants, when I wore them for the first time, I was afraid of being expelled and embarrassed at the gate. Indeed, what I was afraid would happen did happen. The moment I approached the college gate I heard the voice of a security member, “Come over here girl. The one with the pants!” I turned to him knowing this would happen. I asked him if he meant me, and he told me to follow him. I was not the only one targeted by his request. He had called three other female students at the same time. I asked him, “Is there something wrong, amu (meaning uncle but a term often used as a sign of respect for male elders)?” He looked at me up and down and pointed at my pants, “Tight pants. Don’t you know they are not allowed?”
I was nervous since this was my first time in the presence of the security committee during my four years at the university.
“Cloth pants amu. Didn’t the Dean say they were fine?” He answered me, “Yes – the Dean said loose-fitting pants, but not like this. All the details of your body are showing!” The words “details of your body” surprised me at the time. Despite the many stories I had heard about the college gate security committee, I did not expect it to exceed all possible limits. Amu did not stop, of course. He repeated, “You must wear pants that cover everything. So that we can’t see any of your body’s details, and your shirt must reach your knees, not just cover the thighs!”
Once again, I was shocked, but shock was not the only feeling. The strangeness of the situation made me feel horribly trapped. No one has ever spoken to me in this way in my life, let alone a man who evaluates the extent of covering my “details” and how visible they were. I knew that the blouse I was wearing was long and loose, and the pants were loose-fitting as well…that is, my “details”, as amu calls them, were hidden enough. And although I know that I did not make a mistake, I realised that I am justifying my wardrobe to the blindness lurking in my imagination even as I write this text.
Partners in the dean’s crime
The general situation changed though – again – after the scandal with the College of Computer Technology’s dean. Instead of holding the dean accountable, the College of Education went back to restricting female students exclusively, by issuing orders stipulating that they were not allowed to leave the college during school hours and stressing the appropriate dress code once again.
The scandal happened in March, the month in which students from colleges of education apply to teach at schools. I heard one of the teachers from the school staff telling my friend – who is also a student and my colleague in the same college – that we now had a bad reputation. That our names had been “dragged through the mud.” My friend was surprised by this statement, and she asked her what was it that harmed our reputation? The teacher replied: “What the dean did spread across all of you. Now the university’s entire reputation has been dragged through the mud.”
She wasn’t the only person who thought this way. Indeed, for a while, I was ashamed to mention the university I belong to.
All of us – more than 15 thousand students – had become objects of suspicion and accusation. I saw the way taxi drivers in front of the college were looking at me, my friends, and every female student entering the college. Everyone blamed the dean at first, but soon everyone wanted to accuse all Al Karma’s female students of getting their grades by making “concessions.” Although the dean in question was sentenced to fifteen years in prison, it was just the final straw. After four years inside the University of Basra’s Al-Karma Complex, I was fed up. I thought that the university would be the first place where I would learn how to exercise my freedom as an adult. Yet here I am, about to graduate, and I’m still under everyone’s thumb: the guard at university gates, the taxi driver, the security committee, the professors, and the classmate who thinks I should wear an abaya to be covered up properly.
The question remains: When will this strictness towards female students in particular end? Or rather, when will society’s guardianship over women end? Will the College of Education change its approach? Will a generation of women come to achieve what I did not? Exercising freedom without being subject to everyone’s control?
There is no clear answer to these questions. Religious ceremonies are still held on campus today, and turbaned gentlemen roam freely within the college campus. There is still a hidden battle between the hijab and the abaya. With the passing of time, the restrictions on female students and their freedom within the college and university are increasing. So, when will the curtain be raised for the female students? Will it be raised at all?
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“I became a grown-up, and I enrolled in college. No one could control me anymore.”
When I was accepted into the College of Education (within the University’s Department of Humanities), I imagined a world without borders or restrictions. I naively believed that college was the first step to freedom. I told myself: I am free here! But this thought quickly evaporated, along with my dreams of living in a society that accepts diversity.
What does it mean to be a student in the College of Education at the University of Basra?
Religious ceremonies within educational institutions
The year 2023 was the first year where I physically attended the university, even though I was a third-year student at the time. The COVID-19 pandemic deprived us of in-person education for two years.
“What’s going on today?” I asked my classmate, trying to find out what was happening on campus.
“We’re commemorating the martyrdom of (one of our) Imams. I got permission from the professor. I’m going to give water out to the guests.” I did not understand at the time how she could miss a lecture just to distribute water!
But when I entered the lecture hall, I saw that she was not the only one. Most of the students had asked for permission from the lecturer that day, saying, “Professor, we must attend! It’s the martyrdom of the Imam. You know…” The professor was not bothered by the low number of students attending his lecture. He was disturbed though, by his voice getting lost among the loudspeakers broadcasting a eulogy for the Imam praising his sacrifices.
At first, the professor resisted commenting. He wanted to keep lecturing without remarking on the noise from the loudspeakers. He couldn’t in the end though, since we literally could not hear his lecture. We asked him more than once to repeat what he had said about a romantic [era] poem in which the poet talks about his beloved.
“I mean, if we celebrate every group’s special day, we should celebrate the holidays of all groups. Or am I wrong?” The lecture hall was silent for a moment, since it was rare for a teacher to comment on such a topic. In a college characterised by its evidently sectarian nature, no one dared to protest.
The professor did not stop there and added, “This is an educational institution! All aspects of commemoration and mourning are supposed to happen outside its walls because it is a neutral institution.”
This comment sparked a response from a classmate wearing an abaya, a loose, two-piece garment often worn with the hijab. “Professor, it is something to be proud of that our college is commemorating such important ceremonies! This is the Imam! Other Islamic sects don’t have holidays like this one.”
I felt again that the atmosphere was tense and that an argument could erupt at any moment. But the professor laughed gently and said, “By the way, I am a Sayyid (direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammed) but as I told you this is a college not a Hussainia (a term associated with ceremonies linked to the mourning period in Muharram).” Then he returned to his romantic era poem – “The Solitary Reaper” written in 1807 by William Wordsworth in which the poet lyricises about a young woman he hears singing in verdant fields, carrying her voice in his heart everywhere – trying to complete the explanation before the chants of “May God avenge you, my lord!” rose up a second time.
This was neither the first nor the last mourning ritual of this kind.
Many colleges throughout Iraq, including the College of Education at the University of Basra, are famous for holding these types of mourning rituals and commemorating the births and deaths of Imams. The college deans are more than willing to host turban-wearing Islamic leaders to lecture on various topics.
In my second year, the head of the department introduced a lecture by a religious figure and encouraged the students to attend. However, no one showed up the next day.
The religious figure – a Sayyid – found only his committee of lecturers in attendance. That’s to say, there were no students in the audience for his lecture. This forced the department head to come to the adjacent hall, where another group from my grade was waiting for the poetry professor – one can see that poetry is always interrupted here. The department head then ordered them to go to the Science City Hall, where the religious figure was present, and attend the turbaned Sayyid’s lecture from its beginning to its end. Some students refused, saying that they did not like this type of lecture. The department head threatened to deduct attendance grades from the poetry class – even though he was not their assigned instructor and had no authority over their grades – if they did not join. He was not satisfied, so he recorded the names of all attendees to ensure they all stayed.
The college resists all manifestations of difference and encourages a single approach to create a community of individuals that are similar in every detail.
The abaya versus the hijab
The classmate who told the poetry professor that these ceremonies “arouse pride” had herself advised me that same month to follow the doctrine to the letter. “You see, our sect is easy and honorable, but we don’t understand it correctly! The abaya is a woman’s adornment and adds to her modesty.” I did not understand the reason behind her advice, especially since the timing was random. At that moment I was eating breakfast alone, wearing a white blouse, a black skirt and hijab, holding the modesty she was advising me to practice as close as possible. That day, I told her that I appreciated what she had to say, but that did not satisfy her. She kept insisting that she preferred girls who wore the abaya. This made me think that she was telling me in one way or another that, even though this was my sect since birth, I do not resemble it and do not express it adequately!
The college annually holds celebrations that encourage the wearing of the abaya not the wearing of the hijab, which does not actually need encouragement due to the small number of non-veiled women. Every year, a celebration is held that sings the praises of “the one wearing the abaya,” that is the woman who chooses the abaya to cover herself and increase her modesty because it is a symbol of honour and chastity. These celebrations incite the ostracisation of those who wear hijab without the abaya, and of course, all non-veiled women.
Diversity is absent from the College of Education at the University of Basra. There are less than ten non-veiled female students in the college, which consists of seven departments with the total number of students exceeding four thousand. The matter does not stop there. Often, if someone wants to refer to one of the students who is not veiled, they say, “the uncovered one,” “the one who is not veiled,” “the one with the hair” and other nicknames without saying the student’s actual name. It is as if the presence of a woman’s hair becomes a loss of her right to a personal identity.
Although direct targeting is rare, some professors – both women and men – express their dissatisfaction with non-veiled students and with veiled students who might let a portion of their hair fall out of the hijab by ignoring them or treating them harshly.
A classmate once told me that she felt hated by a lecturer who wore an abaya for showing the hair just above her forehead.
This was not the first or last classmate I heard the same story from.
A non-veiled student in one of the college departments said, “The professor in one of my classes at the time told me: ‘You are sweet, polite, and attractive. Why don’t you wear the hijab?’ After I answered her, I left and went outside to cry. I was very sad, but I got used to it.” This was not the first time the student, who preferred to remain anonymous, had faced this. One of the professors deliberately mentioned the hijab and women’s chastity during his lectures to indirectly motivate her to wear the hijab. Students and professors alike often referred to her as “the ewoman.”

Instructions issued by the Deanship of the College of Education for Human Sciences for college students
- Wearing tight pants is strictly prohibited, as are short shirts or blouses. Formal dress is required, only in colors allowed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. Violators are not allowed to enter the campus as these instructions were issued at the beginning of the year and the directives were continuous.
- A black shirt or blouse is allowed for internal department students following a previous arrangement as discussed with them.
- Going outside college during study periods is strictly prohibited, except when lectures end, unless official permission is obtained.
- Please note that the college is monitored by a network of cameras. We hope that students adhere to these regulations and laws and always behave in a polite and civilized manner.
- Any student – male or female – that violates these instructions will be prohibited from entering the university campus starting Sunday, 3/31/2024.
- Smoking is strictly prohibited inside rooms, halls, and all college corridors. The law will be strictly enforced against violators.
- We ask our students to benefit from these directives and adhere to them, and we hope that they will contribute to creating an ideal university environment that suits them and their College of Humanitarian Education first, and secondly their prestigious university, the University of Basra.
- Finally, we would like to remind everyone that dress and personal appearance must be consistent with a clean and respectful university environment.
Source – The official Instagram page of the College of Education for Humanities
Strict control over the “details” of female student’s bodies
It is noteworthy that the focus on raising religious standards and establishing a “sound and conservative” society depends on female students exclusively. This is demonstrated by the fact that the security committee of the College of Education has the right to comment on the clothing of each female student that enters, ignoring male students as long as they carry a college identity card. Up until the end of 2023 – when the new dean at the time modified some rules – the College of Education was known for its strict approach regarding female students’ dress code, strictly prohibiting wearing pants, which could even lead to dismissal. The inspection does not stop at the gate. The former dean used to ask a security committee member to stand near the female students’ bathroom to monitor and record the name of any female student who entered the bathroom wearing an abaya and left wearing pants. If they observed such a case, he would record the student’s name and ask her to sign a pledge stating that she would not violate the rules again. If a girl happened to break the pledge twice, she would face a disciplinary council and may end up being expelled!
The College of Education in the Karma Ali Complex is famous among all colleges for the difficulty of entry for female students from other colleges due to the restrictions on female students’ uniforms. No female student from any college can enter if she does not adhere to the required uniform. This is because the security committee prevents female student from other colleges from entering. The College of Education for Natural Sciences is similar, in some cases even worse, in its rules and strictness.
The situation changed at the beginning of the current academic year 2023-2024, when a new dean was appointed for the college. She found it ridiculous that the security committee was allowed such strange privileges. She took this right from them, and allowed the wearing of loose-fitting pants on campus if the uniform was campus appropriate.
Although the dean herself had given explicit permission for students to wear pants, when I wore them for the first time, I was afraid of being expelled and embarrassed at the gate. Indeed, what I was afraid would happen did happen. The moment I approached the college gate I heard the voice of a security member, “Come over here girl. The one with the pants!” I turned to him knowing this would happen. I asked him if he meant me, and he told me to follow him. I was not the only one targeted by his request. He had called three other female students at the same time. I asked him, “Is there something wrong, amu (meaning uncle but a term often used as a sign of respect for male elders)?” He looked at me up and down and pointed at my pants, “Tight pants. Don’t you know they are not allowed?”
I was nervous since this was my first time in the presence of the security committee during my four years at the university.
“Cloth pants amu. Didn’t the Dean say they were fine?” He answered me, “Yes – the Dean said loose-fitting pants, but not like this. All the details of your body are showing!” The words “details of your body” surprised me at the time. Despite the many stories I had heard about the college gate security committee, I did not expect it to exceed all possible limits. Amu did not stop, of course. He repeated, “You must wear pants that cover everything. So that we can’t see any of your body’s details, and your shirt must reach your knees, not just cover the thighs!”
Once again, I was shocked, but shock was not the only feeling. The strangeness of the situation made me feel horribly trapped. No one has ever spoken to me in this way in my life, let alone a man who evaluates the extent of covering my “details” and how visible they were. I knew that the blouse I was wearing was long and loose, and the pants were loose-fitting as well…that is, my “details”, as amu calls them, were hidden enough. And although I know that I did not make a mistake, I realised that I am justifying my wardrobe to the blindness lurking in my imagination even as I write this text.
Partners in the dean’s crime
The general situation changed though – again – after the scandal with the College of Computer Technology’s dean. Instead of holding the dean accountable, the College of Education went back to restricting female students exclusively, by issuing orders stipulating that they were not allowed to leave the college during school hours and stressing the appropriate dress code once again.
The scandal happened in March, the month in which students from colleges of education apply to teach at schools. I heard one of the teachers from the school staff telling my friend – who is also a student and my colleague in the same college – that we now had a bad reputation. That our names had been “dragged through the mud.” My friend was surprised by this statement, and she asked her what was it that harmed our reputation? The teacher replied: “What the dean did spread across all of you. Now the university’s entire reputation has been dragged through the mud.”
She wasn’t the only person who thought this way. Indeed, for a while, I was ashamed to mention the university I belong to.
All of us – more than 15 thousand students – had become objects of suspicion and accusation. I saw the way taxi drivers in front of the college were looking at me, my friends, and every female student entering the college. Everyone blamed the dean at first, but soon everyone wanted to accuse all Al Karma’s female students of getting their grades by making “concessions.” Although the dean in question was sentenced to fifteen years in prison, it was just the final straw. After four years inside the University of Basra’s Al-Karma Complex, I was fed up. I thought that the university would be the first place where I would learn how to exercise my freedom as an adult. Yet here I am, about to graduate, and I’m still under everyone’s thumb: the guard at university gates, the taxi driver, the security committee, the professors, and the classmate who thinks I should wear an abaya to be covered up properly.
The question remains: When will this strictness towards female students in particular end? Or rather, when will society’s guardianship over women end? Will the College of Education change its approach? Will a generation of women come to achieve what I did not? Exercising freedom without being subject to everyone’s control?
There is no clear answer to these questions. Religious ceremonies are still held on campus today, and turbaned gentlemen roam freely within the college campus. There is still a hidden battle between the hijab and the abaya. With the passing of time, the restrictions on female students and their freedom within the college and university are increasing. So, when will the curtain be raised for the female students? Will it be raised at all?