"Sectarian Cleansing": This Is How Shiite Faction Manage the Ministry of Higher Education in Iraq.

Since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has been a glaring example of sectarianism, with its administrative decisions still reflecting the sectarian practices of Shiite officials who have led it.

From 2010 onwards, the ministry has been one of the key departments sought after by the Shiite faction, yet sectarian cleansing within its institutions began years earlier, as they were not insulated from the sectarian war that ravaged the country between 2006 and 2008.

Sectarian Dismissal

In the latest move by Iraq's Minister of Higher Education, Naim al-Aboudi, widely condemned by activists as sectarian and two-faced, the decision to dismiss a university professor from his post sparked controversy. 

The decision, which also prohibits the academic from holding any future government position, extends beyond the Ministry of Higher Education.

On March 17, 2025, the minister ordered the dismissal of Dr. Omar Abbas, a faculty member at the University of Baghdad, for violating his duties by failing to uphold the dignity of public office and engaging in actions deemed disrespectful.

The document further noted that "Abbas addressed matters that incite sectarian tensions and fuel division, rendering his continued service to the state detrimental to the public interest," a reference to his posts on Facebook.

Social media platforms circulated a comment attributed to an account named Omar Dhia Altaie al-Hanfi, in which the individual criticized Bashar al-Assad's regime and its remnants, calling for vengeance on behalf of Sunni Muslims, who, as he described it, had been ruled for fifty years.

According to a confidential source from the University of Baghdad, speaking to Al-Estiklal on condition of anonymity, "The current university president, Ali Saleh al-Jubouri, instructed the deans during a university council meeting to gather information about Abbas, including which department he belonged to, in order to send a letter to the Minister of Education regarding the comment he made on Facebook."

"The university president did not approach Abbas to reprimand or internally discipline him, nor did he ask him to remove the comment if it posed a risk of punishment. Instead, he opted to directly file a complaint with the ministry, a move considered irresponsible and seemingly aimed at currying favor with the minister," the source added.

"The Ministry of Education dealt with Abbas in a contradictory manner, as it had previously stood idly by when another Shiite teacher from Diyala University insulted Umm al-Mu’minin, Aisha bint Abi Bakr, and the companion Umar ibn al-Khattab, without taking any action to dismiss him."

"The teacher who insulted Aisha was transferred to the University of Baghdad, a move that was considered a form of punishment. However, University President Ali Saleh al-Jubouri assigned him a key administrative position, further indicating that his decisions are likely aimed at currying favor with the ministry in order to maintain his position or something similar," the source said.

In 2013, hundreds of students at Diyala University staged a protest in response to Abbas Hikmat Ferman, the assistant dean of the College of Law and Political Science, for his derogatory remarks about Aisha bint Abi Bakr, the wife of the Prophet Muhammad, and his insults towards the companion Umar ibn al-Khattab in exam questions.

However, the Ministry of Education took no action against Ferman, leaving the decision to the university itself, which ultimately decided to remove him from his position and transfer him out of the university, in accordance with the State Employees Disciplinary Law.

Sectarian Curriculum

Since assuming office in 2022, Iraq's Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Naim al-Aboudi, has sought to impose sectarian policies on the curricula of Islamic law faculties, particularly those relating to the foundations of religion, by banning praise for the companions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and omitting the names and views of certain scholars.

Al-Aboudi's appointment sparked widespread controversy in both Iraqi public and academic circles, given his prior role as a leader and spokesperson for the Iran-backed Shiite militia Asaib Ahl al-Haq (AAH), headed by Qais al-Khazali and listed on U.S. terrorism sanctions.

In a move unprecedented among Shiite politicians who have led the ministry since 2003, al-Aboudi required the academic committee within the Ministry of Higher Education to incorporate works by Shiite scholars into the curriculum, specifically those of Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr and Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr.

Al-Aboudi mandated the inclusion of excerpts from the books Fiqh al-Akhlaq and The Family in Islam by Shiite cleric Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr in undergraduate university curricula.

Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr, along with his sons Moaml and Mortada, was killed in a targeted attack on their car in Najaf in 1999. 

He was the father of the current leader of the Sadrist Movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, who has consistently accused the security forces under Saddam Hussein’s regime of being behind the assassination.

In a similar vein, al-Aboudi imposed additional content from the works Lessons in Principles of Jurisprudence and The Islamic School by the Shiite cleric Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr, who was executed by Iraqi authorities in the 1980s.

Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr was executed in April 1980 on charges of espionage for Iran, just six months before the outbreak of the Iraq-Iran war, which lasted until 1988. 

He was the founder of the Shiite political party, the Islamic Dawa Party in Iraq, and his son, Jaafar, currently serves as Iraq’s ambassador to London.

In graduate-level education (Master’s and PhD), Minister of Higher Education al-Aboudi introduced teaching materials from Beyond Jurisprudence and Minna al-Mannan, written by Shiite cleric Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr.

In October 2023, Iraq's Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research approved the inclusion of works by the Shiite clerics Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr and Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr as university curricula, following recommendations from a committee tasked with "enriching academic curricula with sources and books by Iraqi authors and thinkers."

Commenting on the decision, ministry spokesperson Haider al-Aboudi explained that the move, initiated by Minister of Higher Education Naim al-Aboudi, aims to "cement the role of religious and seminary scholars in academic studies," as reported by the Iraqi news website Al-Ahd in October 2023.

Naim al-Aboudi currently holds two prominent positions: Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the Iraqi government, and head of the political bureau for the militia "Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq," which was founded in 2006 with the backing of Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

The militia gained prominence for its involvement alongside former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian revolution in 2011, under the pretext of defending "sacred shrines." Members of the group referred to themselves as "Brothers of Zaynab," a reference to the shrine of Sayyidah Zaynab in Damascus.

The Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq militia also played a significant role in the battles against the Islamic State in Iraq between 2014 and 2017, a period that attracted international attention due to the group’s brutal sectarian crimes.

In a briefing held in October 2014, just months after the Islamic State’s takeover of Mosul, Amnesty International accused Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq of abducting and killing dozens of Sunni civilians in alleged revenge attacks against the militant group.

The militia was also involved in numerous abductions, particularly between 2015 and 2017, and executed some prisoners, even after their families had paid ransoms exceeding $80,000 to secure their release.

Iranian Influence

Over the two years since the formation of the current Iraqi government under Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has effectively been "sold" to Iran, according to a statement made by Iraqi MP Sajad Salem at a conference held by the Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights in Baghdad on July 21, 2024.

The leader of the Values civil alliance stated that Iraq, now entirely under Iran’s influence, is experiencing a counter-revolution to the popular protests of October 2019, which targeted all visions and aspirations for change, with a particular focus on Iraq’s universities.

"Iraqi universities were the cradle of the revolution (October protests) in 2019, but they were handed over to the militias, which sold them off wholesale to Iran," Salem, a Shia MP, stated, referring to the appointment of Naim al-Aboudi, a leader of the "Kata’ib Hezbollah" militia, as Minister of Higher Education.

"The means and mechanisms for achieving justice in Iraq are now non-existent, following Iran's significant dominance over the country," adding that "international efforts must be present in investigations and prosecutions, as without them, there will be no justice or accountability in Iraq," the MP noted.

Salem accused what he described as some individuals who today engage in Shia rituals in Karbala during the commemoration of the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali (the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him) of being the same people who killed the protesters during the October 2019 demonstrations.

According to the Washington Institute, "By firmly resisting the takeover of higher education by pro-Iran faculty and students, the United States can prevent the militias from recruiting the next generation of fighters." 

"Since the government of Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani came to power, the Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq (AAH) movement has engaged in a persistent campaign to control the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, which oversees more than a million students in Iraq."

"Even though the group is designated by the United States as a terrorist organization–and its leader Qais Khazali is subject to sanctions–AAH enjoys powerful privileges, extensive influence, and financial benefits as it operates within parts of the Iraqi government. Previously, AAH affiliates controlled the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Antiquities, and the group relinquished control of this ministry in exchange for higher education, despite the greater financial powers of the former."

"AAH's abandonment of these financial proceeds—collected from the trade of alcoholic beverages and the issuance of tourism and investment licenses—is a calculated move apparently intended to trade wealth for influence. The group’s new position in higher education gives them the opportunity to compensate for a shortage of young cadres within the militias and to undermine the youth reform movements active on Iraqi college campuses, which tend to have positive attitudes towards the international community."

"These student movements, as the main fuel for the 2019 Tishreen protests, have likewise contributed to undermining the militias' authority and putting them in direct confrontation with Iraqi society—especially in the central and southern regions with a Shia majority. Student movements have over the past five years articulated the legitimate aspirations of Iraqi citizens for a better life and a state free from Iranian influence."

The Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has experienced several sectarian shocks in the post-2003 era, with one of the most tragic incidents being the abduction of nearly 100 employees from the Cultural Attache Office in November 2006, in central Baghdad, by government vehicles belonging to the Ministry of Interior.

In response to the incident, Minister of Higher Education Abd Diab al Ajili issued an order on November 15, 2006, to temporarily suspend classes at Iraqi universities until the security situation in the country improved.

Al Ajili, the last Sunni minister to head the Ministry of Higher Education in the post-2003 era, stated that he had requested additional protection for his ministry’s staff from the Ministries of Interior and Defense, as he had received information indicating they were at risk of an attack.

"What occurred was a significant security breach, especially since the area housing these offices is filled with checkpoints, both police and military," al Ajili added.

He emphasized that the gunmen, who were dressed in police uniforms, "claimed to be employees of the Ministry of Interior."

At the time, news reports suggested that most of those kidnapped from the Cultural Attache Directorate were from the Sunni community, with the exception of a few individuals from the Shia sect who were released hours after the operation. 

The whereabouts of the others, however, remained unknown.

On October 22, 2012, al-Mada reported, citing an anonymous Iraqi security official, that a mass grave had been discovered in the Sadr City outskirts, containing the remains of employees from the Cultural Attache Directorate of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research who had gone missing in 2006.