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Islamic extremists 'infiltrate Oxbridge': Telegraph
LAHORE, March 12(Daily Times): Leading British universities, including Oxford and
Cambridge, have been targeted by Islamic extremists who remain widely active on
campuses, a prominent academic is warning, according to a report in the Sunday
Telegraph.
The Telegraph report said that up to 48 British universities
had been allegedly infiltrated by fundamentalists, and "the threat posed by
radical groups must be urgently addressed", according to Prof Anthony Glees.
The report said that Prof Glees would warn the Association of University
Chief Security Officers (AUCSO) next month that the disbanded extremist group
Al-Muhajiroun claimed to have infiltrated "the main campuses such as Cambridge,
Oxford, the London School of Economics and Imperial College". His speech on
"radicalism in universities" also states that at its peak before the July 7
bombings in 2005, Al-Muhajiroun had a presence at "more than 48 universities and
faculties", and Omar Bakri Mohammed, the group's founder, claims it is "still
operational" in several campuses.
Prof Glees, the director of Brunel
University's Centre for Intelligence and Security Studies, said, "We must accept
this problem is widespread and underestimated."
Following a report by
Prof Glees showing that 31 universities and colleges had hardline Islamic groups
within their campuses, the Department for Education and Skills issued guidelines
last year on dealing with extremism.
Student Islamic societies have
faced growing scrutiny after it emerged that one of 12 men charged in connection
with the alleged plot to blow up transatlantic airliners was president of the
Islamic Society at London Metropolitan University. Last year, AUCSO launched a
"counter-terrorism" group to tackle the spread of Islamic fundamentalism on
campuses. According to the Telegraph report, Prof Glees called on the government
to provide extra investment in campus security.
A spokesman for Oxford
University was quoted as saying, "We always take any extremism seriously and
work closely with the police on any form of extremism that might affect our
students or staff." A Cambridge University spokesman said he was not aware of
any current extremist activity, but the university "remained vigilant". The
government's controversial guidance asked university staff to "monitor" student
Islamic societies and report any "Asian-looking" students they suspected of
extremism to the security services. Student groups attacked the move as "bearing
on the side of McCarthyism".
Other critics suggest that the guidelines
are widely ignored. Chris Pope, an associate fellow of the Royal United Services
Institute for Defence and Security Studies, said, "My understanding is that this
problem is ongoing and expanding in some campuses."
A spokesman for
Universities UK, the umbrella group for British vice chancellors, was quoted in
the Sunday Telegraph report as saying, "In the rare event of such problems,
universities work very closely with the police and other authorities."
In a recent report from a London-based Arabic newspaper, Anjem Chaudhry,
the former head of Al-Muhajiroun in Britain, confirmed that while the movement
officially disbanded in 2005, "the students of Omar Bakri continue to preach on
campuses".
Rammell said, "Our assessment has not changed. Violent
extremism in the name of Islam is a real, credible and sustained threat to the
UK, and there is evidence of a serious, but not widespread risk of violent
extremism in the name of Islam on our university campuses."
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