After the crisis eased and I felt comfortable, I visited Iraq, meeting my dear relatives and friends. Coincidentally, my visit coincided with Dr. Na'im Al-Aboudi assuming the ministerial post. I received an invitation to meet him, and was taken to the meeting by Dr. Haider Abd Dhahd, who immediately became a deputy minister. Dr. Na'im welcomed me warmly, and I was eager to know if he knew me previously or had read some of my articles or books, but he had no previous knowledge of me—he invited me based on a prior recommendation. After introductions and pleasantries, he offered me the position of advisor to him. I told him eagerly that I would be honored by this invitation, but I was already an advisor to the ministry since 2003. Nevertheless, he offered me this honorary position, unconcerned with my previous status, as if it were a new offer, then added requesting me to form a council of advisors.
The meeting ended, and I actually began selecting distinguished experts from inside and outside Iraq, including Dr. Riyad Al-Mehaidi, Professor at Swinburne University in Australia, and Dr. Mohamed Al-Azri, Professor at the University of Leicester in Britain. After several days, I sent him a list of council members I had chosen, with myself as president as the minister himself had proposed. I waited for his response, and the first surprise was the abandonment of my appointment as advisor—my name was included only as a member of the advisory council, with some names from my proposal deleted and replaced with others. Then days later, a ministerial decision was issued forming the council under his presidency—the second surprise. I asked about the reason, and he explained it was necessary based on instructions assuming the minister would be president of the advisory council.
My visit to Iraq ended and I returned to my residence in Morocco. Council meetings began where we discussed several issues, and I presented a number of proposals and projects, including amendments to the structure of faculty work, teaching load, postgraduate and examination problems and solutions, innovative views on internationalization, and important amendments to the private education law project, where I emphasized the necessity that private universities be non-profit, and the formation of a board of trustees for each university. I also presented an integrated project for new postgraduate regulations, based on a large number of postgraduate systems from about 30 Arab and foreign universities. I invested great effort and time in it, but despite the council's welcome, it did not receive approval from the minister or his deputy, and was neglected. This neglect did not surprise me, as I had become accustomed to the successive ministries' neglect since 2003 of a large number of my proposals, projects, and plans.
During this period, differences emerged between my views and those of the minister and deputy, and the size of the gap between us became clear in ideas, aspirations, and desires, expressing different directions and showing the difference between my enthusiasm for real change, development, reform, and improving education quality, and the minister's conservative tendencies concerned with formalities, such as Iraqi universities' participation in international rankings and their positions. This policy led to a massive increase in fake publishing and purchasing ready-made papers.
But the most prominent disagreement between me and the minister was over the ministry's decision to ban the activity of the "General Union of Students in the Republic of Iraq," citing negative effects on academic reputation and the educational process, and the possibility of the organization being exploited later to harm the reputation of the campus. I objected to this ban considering these reasons unacceptable for banning a national, academic, and long-standing student organization. I questioned the aspects of the union's activity that actually affected academic reputation or harmed campus reputation, and requested the ministry reconsider this decision, and establish options for student organizations that serve building sound democratic and academic atmospheres within universities, and to protect freedom of expression and academic union formations. I published the letter publicly.
This letter provoked the minister, prompting him to contact me objecting to it, demanding I correct the matter since I was a ministry advisor and had no right to object to its decisions, and that I was obliged to discuss the issue only within the ministry. I clarified my position that I was an honorary advisor, not a ministry employee, and it was my right—as always—to present my views and ideas publicly and to public opinion, and I refuse any ban or coercion from any government or other body; I am a free scientist and writer.
Matters deteriorated after that, relations soured, and the minister no longer had any desire to hear my ideas or benefit from my expertise and knowledge. A long period passed without our council meeting, until a decision was issued to dissolve it without mentioning reasons. I wrote a letter to the council stating: "I did not expect things to end with a decision to dissolve it. The council, as they say, was stillborn. Despite all the effort we made in presenting ideas and discussions, it turned out that everything was scattered to the winds. It seems the ministry was not serious about benefiting from our expertise, and decided to end the work of this council, which lost its importance to them from its inception, and no longer had any real role other than virtual existence. I do not know who bears responsibility for this failure, and what repercussions will result from not benefiting from this opportunity that provided these competent minds."
After a short period, the council was re-formed with other professors from inside, without any external element, after we had been four members from international universities in the initial formation. And so ended my experience with the ministry of Dr. Na'im Al-Aboudi.
That period witnessed an expansion of my circle of acquaintances within the ministry's corridors, culminating in getting to know new faces and strengthening ties with personalities previously connected through work and numerous visits to the ministry and universities, foremost among them Professor Dr. Ala'a Abdul Hassan, the ministry's advisor. My relationship with him was strengthened by the convergence of ideas and visions. I found him a rare academic model combining scientific rigor that made him a reference in his specialty, with integrity and transparency that characterized his management and his constant concern for advancing the educational institution. His leadership skills and high administrative expertise made him an exceptional personality. To this day, I cherish a distinguished relationship with this figure who represents a unique blend of noble character, calmness, and integrity.
