London: University not preventing radicalization

London: University not preventing radicalization


University College London, where Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was recently president of the Islamic Society, has been accused of being "complicit" in the radicalisation of Muslim students by "failing grotesquely" to prevent extremists from giving lectures on campus.
 

UCL has been heavily criticised in the past for its relaxed attitude to radical preachers, and security agencies are investigating whether it was there that Detroit bomber Abdulmutallab was recruited by al-Qaeda sympathisers.


As recently as last month, Abu Usama, who teaches that homosexuals and apostates should be killed, was due to speak at UCL until the university finally bowed to pressure and cancelled the event, and last year, when Abdulmutallab was still a student at UCL, the Islamic Society held a five-day series of lectures and seminars about the War on Terror which have been criticised as anti-Western propaganda.


Anthony Glees, professor of security and intelligence studies at the University of Buckingham, said UCL had no excuse for failing to root out extremism on campus.


He said: "I believe Abdulmutallab's radicalisation from being a devoted Muslim to a suicide bomber took place in the UK and I believe al-Qaeda recruited him in London. Universities and colleges like UCL have got to realise that you don't get suicide bombers unless they have first been radicalised.


"UCL boasts on its website that it has 8,000 staff for 22,000 students, which is an enviable staff/student ratio. What have they been doing?


"All British universities must look at their Islamic Societies and demand assurances that no radicalisation will be allowed. If they can't give those assurances, they should be disbanded."


UCL has confirmed that Abdulmutallab was president of its Islamic Society from 2006-07, but has insisted he "never gave his tutors any cause for concern".


Douglas Murray, of the Centre for Social Cohesion, said: "UCL has not just failed to prevent students being radicalised, they have been complicit. If any other society at UCL invited someone to speak who encouraged killing homosexuals, that society would be banned immediately, but academics are afraid of taking action when it involves Islamic societies in case they are accused of Islamophobia.


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Source: Telegraph (English)

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