Radical Islamic groups are trying to recruit students at Scotland’s universities despite attempts to ban them.
Extremist organisations such as al Muhajiroun and Hizb ut Tahrir are operating under different names and moving bases within the UK to avoid detection, it was claimed yesterday.
The National Union of Students (NUS) Scotland said it was concerned that extremist organisations were trying to operate on campuses and that, although several had been banned, they had circumvented this by changing their names.
The comments came as the author of a study about to be published, called How Safe are British Universities? , said it was vital that universities in Scotland worked more closely with the security services.
Anthony Glees, director of Brunel University’s centre for intelligence and security studies, said his research documented 14 cases since 1993 of people being charged with terrorism offences having been in contact with extremist groups on campus.
This included the case of Shamsul Bahri Hussein, a Malaysian who read applied mechanics at Dundee University and who has links with Jemaah Islamiah, the organisation accused of being behind a string of bombings in Indonesia, including the 2002 Bali blasts.
“The time for a softly, softly approach is over when you are dealing with people who will kill themselves for an ideal. It is a growing problem as more people are attending universities and as some are starved of cash they now recruit more from overseas without being careful enough of who they attract, ” Mr Glees said.
The article prompted the following responses from Scottish students:
Your story on “Radical Islamists at Scots universities” was the latest of many sensationalist and unhelpful commentaries on British Muslims to turn up on newspaper pages. Of course, the contention of the headline was not backed up in the article, as the problem is simply that certain groups are “trying” to recruit. Such reporting is part of the attempt to find easy answers by pointing the finger here and there, this time at campuses.
In my capacity as Scottish Chair of the Federation of Student Islamic Societies (UK & Ireland), I communicate regularly with Scotland’s thirteen societies. We are thoroughly sensible people, trying to present the beautiful message of Islam through education and our own examples. Our condemnation of all aggression is unequivocal, and we will never give a platform to windbags like Al-Muhajiroun, who contradict our intention to be fully part of British society while staying true to our faith. These fanatics’ only oxygen is the unwarranted media coverage they get, to spout their filth and give us all a bad name.
We know our campuses very well, and are fed up of simplistic portrayals intended to increase mutual suspicion and damage positive work done by hard-working Islamic societies. We are not gullible children about to be “radicalised” by someone who has alleged links to obscure groups, or who may hold views about something we would never ask them about. Let’s be fair, and let’s be realistic.
Sohaib Saeed
President, Islamic Society of Edinburgh University
Chair, FOSIS Scotland
——————————–
As one of the most active Islamic societies in Scotland, we were very disappointed with your article on “Radical Islamists at Scots universities”. Our society is open for all students, and teaches its members to be positive members of society.
We do everything that is within our means to tackle extremism, but any problems should not be exaggerated. There is no such activity at our campus as far as we know, and we are the best placed to know about it. It is not our job or concern to ‘dig for dirt’ on any student, as long as they live peacefully along with others.
In the current climate, it seems that your article is meant to create more hostility towards Islam and Muslims. It undermines our efforts to make Muslims feel that they are integral to this nation. I wish that your newspaper was interested in reporting probably the most peaceful demonstration ever held in Dundee, which we organised last month. Somehow these things don’t hit the headlines.
Hassan Habib
President, Dundee University Islamic Society
——————————–
NUS Scotland, together with the Federation of Student Islamic Societies, issued a joint statement last week, condemning the bomb attacks in London and the subsequent rise in racist attacks. Part of that statement criticised the provocative media reports that have suggested that college and university campuses are somehow rife with terrorist recruiters, and commending those journalists who had refrained from this kind of irresponsible reporting. We firmly believe that these types of articles can only increase fear and suspicion, where none is warranted.
It was disappointing, therefore, to read your article (Radical Islamists at Scots universities 20/07/05) on this very subject. We can only hope that your readers are astute enough to realise that when articles do not directly quote a source, there is no guarantee the views of that source have been correctly represented.
Despite a conversation I had with your reporter where I stated that we had no evidence of extremist groups currently recruiting on Scottish campuses, your paper has chosen only to indirectly quote policy passed at a UK-wide conference last year. NUS Scotland has policy to campaign against any extremist group when and if they emerge in Scotland, and to encourage Scottish students’ associations to deny them a platform on campus.
We strongly urge all students to report any anti-Muslim or other racist incidents to their students’ associations, college or university management and the police.
Melanie Ward
President, NUS Scotland