University or Husainiyah?! That is the Question

Students at Shiraz University of Technology protested the condition of their university, questioning whether “this is a university or a husainiyah.”

Videos circulating on social media indicate that Shiraz University of Technology has been transformed into a husainiyah for holding religious ceremonies.

Shiraz University of Technology no longer resembles an academic and educational center. What is happening in this university today functions more like a permanent husainiyah than an environment for study and research. Following successive closures, particularly after the twelve-day war, not only have classrooms and laboratories become practically inaccessible to students, but the university administration, under the shadow of government institutions, has preferred to allocate the campus and facilities to conducting religious ceremonies.

This occurs while Iran faces an unprecedented crisis: schools and universities are shutting down one after another due to water shortages, frequent power outages, and lack of minimum facilities. Yet instead of the government and university administration seeking solutions to these problems, their only concern is imposing mandatory hijab, conducting government rituals, and ideological control of students.

This anti-educational policy has produced clear and numerous consequences, as follows:

1. Dozens of students have been forced to endure additional years, without any fault on their part.
2. Dormitories have not been repaired and prepared even after months of closure, cooling equipment is broken, and living conditions are severely unfavorable.
3. The university cafeteria has only been operational for a few limited days, and students face serious difficulties in securing daily food.
4. The complete absence of student councils and prohibition of forming any independent organizations has transformed the university into a voiceless institution submissive to the regime’s will.

The policy governing Shiraz University of Technology today is part of a broader process in Iran. Instead of responding to the educational and welfare needs of youth, the regime has reduced the university to an ideological stronghold. While students should be present in laboratories and libraries, they are forcibly taken to religious halls. This is a clear betrayal of the university’s mission and a direct insult to the scientific honor of the country.

To this end, students at Shiraz University of Technology have prepared a call for the new academic year, declaring: “A university is not a religious base, but a house of science and freedom. It should be managed by independent student councils, professors, and staff, not government officials and ideological institutions. Today is the time for students across the country to form independent student councils, establish anti-government political organizations, and launch continuous protests to transform the new academic year into a field of struggle against educational and social repression. Students must ask ‘Is this a university or a husainiyah?’ and give a clear answer: ‘A university is a place for science and freedom, not a tool for perpetuating religious despotism.'”