IIUI students told to wear appropriate clothing

Warns anyone found violating the code will face strict disciplinary action

ISLAMABAD: The International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) has asked its female students to strictly adhere to a traditional dress code, warning that anyone found violating the code would face strict disciplinary action.

The circular was issued last week by the Faculty of Management Sciences on the female campus of IIUI which offers BBA, MBA, MS and PhD degree programmes.

The university maintains strict segregation between the male and female campuses which run parallel and has previously asked students living at its hostel not to share beds and ‘maintain distance’.



The fresh notification about the dress code was signed by Assistant Professor Dr Fauzia Syed, in-charge of the varsity’s Discipline Committee.

In the notice, she tells students that it is “mandatory for all FMS (female) students to adhere the dress code: Shalwar Qameez with at least knee-length shirt, dress should not be see-through, deep necks strictly prohibited, sleeveless shirts are not allowed, trousers are allowed only with long shirts, skinny jeans, tights  and capris are not allowed, dupatta or scarf is compulsory with all dresses, make-up and heavy jewellery are not allowed, and high heels are also not allowed.”

In case of non-compliance strict disciplinary action would be taken, she warns.

IIUI Rector Masoom Yasinzai said the university is already following a decent dress code which was included in the admission form.

“All the students pledge to adhere to this dress code from the time they take admissions,” he said.

It only asks for a decent dress code according to our traditions and culture like all the other universities, he added.



Asked about the particular faculty, Yasinzai said it is located at the start of the varsity while the female campus is located quite far and that sometimes female students have to pass through the boy's campus, hence the request to follow the dress code again.

Moreover, Yasinzai said that sometimes male teachers also take classes at the female campus, and to ensure that they do not have any objections, a request has been made to follow a decent dress code.

The rector defended the code, noting that it does not say anything about maintaining purdah or donning abayas.

However, one faculty member remarked that the university was entangled on such issues while ignoring the falling academic and research standards.



Meanwhile, Female Management Science Department Chairperson Dr Tasneem Fatima was of the view that students of her faculty were quite liberal.

“But students coming from different backgrounds need some upbringing and need to cultivate some etiquettes and manners to move respectably in different gatherings. Even in the US, there are different dress codes for various official and private gatherings. So students are asked to maintain some decent dress code otherwise there will be no restrictions on them,” Dr Fatima argued.

Recently, other varsities have also asked students to maintain a ‘decent’ dress code with students at FAST and the University of Engineering and Technology Taxila with the latter asking students not to use the faculty’s section of the cafeteria, male students barred from sitting in the section of the female section while mix gatherings in the cafeteria also banned.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 18^th, 2017.