Universities told to curb campus extremism

The home secretary, Theresa May, has announced a new bill which calls for UK universities to ban extremist speakers from their campuses.

The bill was published on Wednesday 26 November after the official inquiry into the murder of Lee Rigby was published on Tuesday 25 November. Rigby was run over and butchered by two men inspired by Jihadi in Woolwich, south-east London, in May 2013.

The bill focuses on counter-terrorism measures directed at the Islamic State (ISIS), who Mrs May names as one of the most serious threats to security in the UK.

The bill declares that it is the duty of schools, colleges, prisons and local councils to help prevent people from being drawn into terrorism.

According to the Guardian, Mrs May clarified the necessity of the role universities will have to play in ensuring that the terms of the bill are met, “The organisations subject to the duty will have to take into account guidance issued by the home secretary.

“Where organisations consistently fail, ministers will be able to issue directions to them which will be enforceable by court orders.”

The bill comes about after Sharia Watch UK (SWUK) released a report that showed that an increasing number of Islamist speakers have been allowed on UK university campuses.

The report was due to be released on Wednesday 12 November at the University of West London. However, the University cancelled the launch due to concerns of PR.

Sharia refers to the moral, religious and legal code for those who follow the Islamic faith. SWUK is concerned with the criminal and political parts of Sharia law and claim that its aim is to inform readers of how Sharia law is currently manifested in Britain and expressed through notions of Islamic supremacism.

SWUK released its report on November 1 2014. It stated that an increasing number of British people and students are being united to fight for the Islamic state. They cite the organisation, Boko Haram as being another British concern alongside Isis.

They claim that the culture of censorship at UK universities shuts down anything seemingly offensive to Islam, thereby aiding the radicalisation of young British Muslims.

In their report, SWUK said: “Sharia Watch UK asks that the government, the security services and universities themselves take action to comfort Islamic extremism on campuses throughout the UK.”

Warwick Students’ Union recently withdrew an invitation to a speaker who had been formerly invited to speak for Black History Month. The speaker, Azad Ali, chair of the Muslim Safety Forum, had been described as an “extremist”.