Abstarct: This qualitative study investigates the role of Al-Haya'a (cultural modesty) in shaping oral participation among Iraqi EFL undergraduate students in mixedgender university classrooms. Grounded in a constructivist epistemological frxamework and guided by thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006), the study drew on fourteen semi-structured interviews and six non-participant classroom observations conducted over a four-month period at an Iraqi public university. Five overarching themes emerged from the analysis: the multifaceted conceptualization of Al-Haya'a as both an internal moral compass and an external social shield; the mixed-gender classroom as a site of embodied surveillance and spatial anxiety; the cognitive and emotional labor preceding oral participation; the mediating role of pedagogical factors including teacher gender, seating arrangements, and classroom management strategies; and students' navigational strategies alongside their recommendations for culturally responsive pedagogy. Findings reveal that Al-Haya'a functions as a dynamic, gendered regulatory force that materially constrains oral participation, particularly among female students and first-year learners. The study advocates for culturally sensitive pedagogical adaptations, graduated participation scaffolding, and teacher training in cultural awareness to bridge the tension between communicative language teaching demands and students' cultural identities.