Iraq launches expanded 'Study in Iraq' program, offers 16,000+ seats for 2025-26
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iraq's Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Naeem Al-Aboudi, today (April 30, 2025) launched the third edition of the 'Study in Iraq' program for the 2025-2026 academic year, significantly expanding opportunities for international students.
Building on the success of previous years, the initiative now offers over 16,000 study seats across undergraduate and postgraduate levels in diverse scientific and humanities fields. A total of 67 Iraqi academic institutions are participating, including government and private universities, and notably, universities from the Kurdistan Region. Opportunities include full and partial scholarships, alongside self-funded options.
Minister Al-Aboudi stated the program enhances Iraq's academic reputation, bolstered by recent international recognition like WFME accreditation for Iraqi medical colleges. He announced new initiatives including an international student league and designating April 30th as Iraq's official 'International Student Day' with an annual festival. Enhanced Arabic language training and practical skills focus are also planned.
Positioning Iraq as a historic land of knowledge welcoming global talent, this expanded program underscores the government's commitment to developing a high-quality, internationally engaged higher education system.
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In advance of Dhu al-Hijjah, the month during which Muslims perform the pilgrimage to Mecca, one of the five basic commandments of the Muslim faith, Wasfi Ashour Abu Zeid, a member of the Qatar-based International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS),[1] published an article in which he urged Muslims to implement the concepts and principles of the Hajj – namely the Oneness of Allah, the unity of the Muslim nation, reverence for religious rituals and jihad with one's wealth and one's life – both in their daily lives and in the current war in Gaza, and encouraged them to wage jihad against the "enemies of the nation" and to strive to become martyrs. According to Abu Zeid, the concepts associated with the Hajj imbue the Muslim with the courage to fight the enemy and the desire to become a martyr, and also cause the martyr's family to accept his martyrdom with satisfaction and see it as a reward from Allah. Abu Zeid stressed the connection between the commandment of Hajj and the commandment of jihad, noting that, in Surat al-Hajj in the Quran, Muslims are commanded to engage in jihad, and stressing that the Muslim nation must wage jihad "against its enemies in order to liberate the homelands and the holy places." Referring to Palestinian terrorists as "heroic jihad fighters" who have "revived the significance of jihad" in the heart of the nation and "returned it to the forefront," he exhorted Muslims to glorify and support the jihad fighters, including through financial contributions. He also accused the Muslim nation of abandoning the people of Gaza in the current war, saying that, "under the influence of its rulers and some evil religious scholars," this nation has become divided and suffers from "a state of unprecedented helplessness." He therefore called on the ummah (Islamic nation) to unite and come to the help of the Gazans.[2] Wasfi Ashour Abu Zeid and the logo of the IUMS (images: The following are translated excerpts from this article: [3] "The greater Hajj[4] is associated with immense significance, sublime words of wisdom and tremendous collective goals that the Muslims must understand and seek to realize in their daily lives, so that the ritual will have an effect on their lives and their livelihood, as well as on their faith and destiny… The greatest event currently being experienced by the [Muslim] nation and the world is the Al-Aqsa Flood war [i.e., the war in Gaza], which, as of this writing, has been ongoing for 20 months with no end in sight. "The following are some of the meanings of the Hajj that we [can] utilize in favor of the Al-Aqsa Flood: "A. The Oneness of Allah [i.e., monotheism]: "Whoever gives some thought to the commandment of the Hajj finds that its greatest objective is professing the Oneness of Allah, first of all by leaving one's homeland, family and business… turning to Allah and yearning to please Him and [to partake in] the various forms of the journey to Allah, including the talbiyah,[5] the tahlil,[6] the takbir,[7] and other religious rituals performed in remembrance of Allah… It is this Oneness, cemented and entrenched in people's hearts, that produces the courage to fight, infiltrate the enemy lines and seek to become a martyr, bravely and without fear. It is [also] the underlying reason for the beautiful scenes we witness from the martyrs' mothers, fathers and wives, who [bear] this martyrdom with patience and gratification, seeing it as a reward from Allah, thus eliciting admiration from all of mankind. "B. The unity of the nation: "During the Hajj the nation is united, since [the pilgrimage] brings people together in a single place and time: the place is Mecca, the time is the month of Dhu Al-Hijja, and the people [all] gather there… No ritual except for the Hajj brings together time, place and people [in this manner]! The Muslims [all] address and adhere to the same God, perform the same rituals in [observing] this commandment, face the same direction in prayer, pray behind the same imam, circle the same Kaaba, and run in the same place.[8] Hence, everything included in the Hajj calls for unity and for uniting the nation. "[Conversely], in the face of the Al-Aqsa Flood, what do we see? We see the [Muslim] nation doing nothing but abandoning the people of Gaza… and leaving them to their fate when they want support… Instead of standing united on the front lines of this great event, the nation is divided, under the influence of its rulers and some evil religious scholars, and suffers from a state of unprecedented helplessness. That is why I say that the commandment of the Hajj enjoins us to profess the Oneness of Allah and of the nation in the face of the challenges and duties about which Allah will question us on the Day of Judgement. "C. Entrenching the commandment of jihad: "Surat al-Hajj in the Quran [i.e., the 22nd surah of the Quran] discusses many of the rituals, lessons and meanings of the Hajj, and concludes with a verse in which Allah says: 'And embark on jihad for the sake of Allah, as is due to Him. He has chosen you and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship [Quran 22:78]'… The nation must proceed from the Hajj – which involves jihad without [military] force – to jihad against the enemies of the nation in order to liberate the homelands and the holy places… That is a cause that transcends all others… aimed at freeing the prisoners and purging Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa. "That is what the jihad fighters are doing in the Al-Aqsa Flood: They have revived the significance of jihad in [the heart of] the nation and returned it to the forefront, after it was associated with 'terrorism' and almost vanished from the scene. The [Al-Aqsa Flood] war came along to return it to people's awareness, entrench it in their hearts and use it to associate the nation with values of honor, courage and martyrdom. "D. Honoring Allah's rites. "This expression appears in the Quran in the context of the rites of pilgrimage. Allah says: That [is so]: Whoever honors the rites of Allah, it is the sign of a pious heart [22:32].' This is because people prepare to perform this commandment and ready themselves for it. They leave their children and family, and that constitutes honoring Allah's rites. "Jihad and the way it is currently being realized in Palestine is [also] one of Allah's rites, and we should glorify what the heroic jihad fighters are doing there, just as we should glorify the bonds of brotherhood and, as a consequence, fulfill the duty of supporting [the jihad fighters] and mobilizing [to help them], in compliance with the directives of the Prophet… "E. Financial jihad: If the Hajj is the jihad of the weak, it also sheds light on [the concept of] financial jihad. For [undertaking] the Hajj costs money, and any Muslim who can bear the expense is required to perform this commandment… Giving money and spending it on performing commandments is clearly a kind of jihad that is explicitly mentioned in the Quran, for the Quran always mentions jihad by means of money before mentioning the jihad of [sacrificing] one's life, as Allah says: 'Among the believers, those who stay at home – except for the disabled – are not equal to those who engage in jihad for the sake of Allah with their property or with their lives. To those who engage in jihad for the sake of Allah with their property or their lives, Allah has granted a higher rank than to those who stay at home. To each, Allah has promised a reward most fair, but Allah has preferred those who engage in jihad over those who sit at home, giving them a mighty reward [Quran 4:95].' "Palestine now needs money more than ever before. Gaza is dying of hunger and thirst and its infrastructures, which have been destroyed, must be rebuilt. As a consequence, we need money before, during and after engaging in jihad." [4] The greater Hajj (al-hajj al-akbar) is pilgrimage to Mecca during the month of Dhu al-Hijjah, as opposed to the lesser Hajj (umrah), which is a pilgrimage undertaken at some other time of the year. [5] The talbiyah is a prayer uttered by pilgrims before entering the holy compound in Mecca. It begins with the words "At your service, Allah, at your service." [6] Tahlil is the act of uttering the words "there is no god but Allah." [7] Takbir is the act of uttering the words Allahu akbar.
