ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Aram Qadir said Thursday that he is set to "officially" receive the preliminary findings of the academic committee investigating allegations of sexual misconduct against prominent Salafi figure Abdullatif Ahmad.
Ahmad is a leading figure in the conservative Salafi movement in the Kurdistan Region and teaches Islamic law at the University of Sulaimani. In early June, a UK-based activist named Bilal Mahmood, widely known as Yaxi, published a series of audio and video recordings attributed to Ahmad, alleging sexual abuse and exploitation.
"I need to review the complete minutes of the meeting,” Minister Qadir told Rudaw. “We will take the necessary steps to ensure justice is served.”
According to Yaxi, the recordings were provided by four of Ahmad’s female students, whom he claims are victims in the case. A central issue that remains in the ongoing investigation is the verification of the authenticity of the recordings to rule out the possibility that they were generated or tampered with using artificial intelligence.
“As of now, he remains a suspect. The final rulings of the committee and the courts will determine whether these accusations constitute a proven crime," the minister added, noting that potential disciplinary actions could range from official dismissal to a temporary or permanent ban from academic service.
Ahmad has categorically rejected the accusations, expressing readiness to appear in court against the alleged female victims "accompanied by their fathers."
However, a statement published on Sunday by a group of students from the university's College of Islamic Sciences challenged Ahmad's denials, claiming they have "no doubt about the truth of the matter."
"He has engaged in ethical misconduct and sexual harassment against our fellow female students," the students' statement read. "So far, approximately 10 victims have been identified and are ready to testify."
However, the victims that Rudaw spoke to said the number could be higher as some of them are hesitant to come forward for fear of being stigmatized.
Two of the alleged victims spoke to Rudaw’s Soran Hussein on Sunday. One claimed that Ahmad had given his number to her and the other students in his class and asked them to deliver their presentations through voice messages on Whatsapp.
“The first time, I sent him my seminar; he praised it heavily and said it was exactly to his liking,” she said. “Two days later, he messaged me saying, 'The clothes you wore to work today were very attractive.' I was truly shocked by that."
She said that he once sent her friend a photo of himself waiting in his car but she stopped her friend from going. He grew angry and blocked the friend, only to unblock her later to call her “manipulative” and accuse her of “being a terrible person.”
Minister Qadir explained that while the ministry's internal investigative committee will address administrative discipline, the case will ultimately be handed over to the judiciary.
"The case will be transferred by the University of Sulaimani to the judiciary. It must proceed to the court because the public prosecutor is now actively involved," Qadir noted.
This is not the first time Ahmad's personal life has drawn public scrutiny. In 2016, he faced widespread criticism over his relationship with one of his students.
At the time, audio recordings of his romantic conversations with the female student Chawan Arif were published. However, the student subsequently divorced and married the preacher.
