The Faculty of Literature and Humanities at the University of Tehran has confirmed that Sepideh Birashk, a visiting lecturer in its philosophy department, has been barred from teaching and entering the university since 15 October. The faculty attributed its decision to learning of “certain aspects of her background and positions”. Its explanation refers to her media activities but raises no specific concerns about the quality of her teaching or her academic qualifications.
1001Nomads | 20 October 2026
Sepideh Birashk’s time teaching at the University of Tehran lasted just two classes. She had returned to teach at the faculty where she once studied. Now, her classes have been halted and she is also barred from entering the university.
In an explanation published by Tasnim News Agency on Sunday, 18 October, the Faculty of Literature said the decision had taken effect on Thursday, 15 October. According to the same statement, Birashk had been assigned a single course on a paid adjunct basis after completing her studies abroad and returning to Iran. She was serving as a visiting lecturer; the precise description is therefore the termination of her teaching arrangement and a ban on teaching, rather than dismissal from a permanent faculty position.
To explain why it had been unaware of her media activities, the faculty pointed to the difference between the name in its academic records, “Zahra Birashk”, and the name by which she is publicly known, “Sepideh Birashk”. The explanation does not specify which position prompted the teaching and entry bans, or which rule provided the basis for them.
From media appearances to demands for action against the philosophy department
Reports on the case identify Birashk’s appearance on BBC Persian’s “Pargar” programme and her social media activities as grounds cited by those opposing her continued teaching. IranWire also mentions these issues, along with objections to her non-compliance with compulsory hijab requirements, in its account of the circumstances surrounding the decision.
Public pressure did not end with the university’s announcement. On Monday, 19 October, Tasnim published a joint statement by the Faculty of Literature’s Student Basij, the University of Tehran’s Justice-Seeking Students’ Assembly and its Independent Islamic Association. Beyond objecting to Birashk’s presence, the signatories demanded action against the leadership of the faculty and the philosophy department. They threatened to broaden their disclosures if the university engaged in what they described as leniency.
The statement says Birashk had been assigned to teach “Philosophy of Art”. Yet its objections focus largely on her media appearances, clothing and personal life, without offering a documented assessment of her course content or teaching performance. Allegations about her sexual orientation were made in the same context; they have not been independently verified for this article.
The timing of this statement matters: it was published after her teaching had been stopped and after the university had publicly announced its decision. It shows that pressure on university administrators continued, but it does not establish that this particular statement triggered the termination of her teaching arrangement.
Where do academic criteria fit into the decision?
The central question in this case concerns the relationship between a lecturer’s public activities and her right to continue working at a university. The faculty’s published explanation refers to Birashk’s background and positions, but provides no account of a teaching assessment, an examination of a specific breach or an opportunity for her to respond. The absence of this information does not, by itself, prove that no procedure took place; it shows that the university has yet to explain its decision-making process to the public.
In such circumstances, university autonomy takes on a practical meaning: who assesses a lecturer’s qualifications, against which criteria, and with what opportunity to defend herself or appeal? Appearing on a television programme, or disagreement with someone’s clothing and views, does not in itself establish whether she is capable of teaching the philosophy of art.
The University of Tehran has announced the end of its collaboration with Birashk. What remains unexplained is the basis for that
decision and the reason for barring her from campus: a measure whose consequences extend beyond the assignment of a course to determine a researcher’s access to university life.
