University or Husseiniyeh?! That is the question.

Students at Shiraz University of Technology protested the university's status, saying, "Is this a university or a Haseena?"

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

Shiraz University of Technology no longer resembles a scientific and educational center. What is happening in this university today is more like the function of a permanent Hussainiyyah than an environment for education and research. After successive closures, especially after the Twelve-Day War, not only have the classes and laboratories been practically inaccessible to students, but the university administration, under the shadow of government institutions, has also preferred to dedicate the premises and facilities to religious ceremonies.

This is while Iran is in an unprecedented crisis, with schools and universities closing one after another due to the water crisis, frequent power outages, and the lack of basic amenities; but instead of the government and university administrations coming up with solutions to these problems, their only concern is imposing mandatory hijab, holding state rituals, and ideological control over students.

This anti-educational policy has had many obvious consequences, as follows:

1. Dozens of students have been forced to endure additional years of study, through no fault of their own.
2. Even after months of closure, the dormitories have not been repaired or prepared, the cooling equipment is broken, and the living conditions are extremely poor.
3. The university's predecessor has not been active except for a few limited days, and students are facing serious problems in securing daily food.
4. The complete absence of the trade union council and the prohibition of forming any independent organization have turned the university into a silent institution obedient to the will of the government.

The policy that governs Shiraz University of Technology today is part of a broader trend in Iran. Instead of responding to the educational and welfare needs of the youth, the government has reduced the university to its ideological stronghold. While students should be present in the laboratory and library, they are forcibly dragged to religious halls. This is a clear betrayal of the university's mission and a direct insult to the country's scientific honor.

For this purpose, students at Shiraz University of Technology have prepared a call for the new academic year, declaring: "The university is not a religious base, but a house of knowledge and freedom. Its administration should be in the hands of independent student councils, professors, and staff, not government employees and ideological institutions. Today is the time for students across the country to turn the new academic year into a battleground against educational and social oppression by forming independent trade union councils, creating political organizations opposed to the government, and holding continuous protests. Students should ask, "Is this a university or a Husseiniyeh?" and give a clear answer: "The university is a place for knowledge and freedom, not a tool for continuing religious tyranny."