UK newspaper slammed for spying on Muslim students

[sonz]

A leading Muslim student organization condemned a British newspaper for offering money to students in exchange for spying on their Muslim colleagues, IRNA reported.

The weekly Mail newspaper reportedly offered money for student reporters at the London Student Newspaper in exchange for spying on Islamic Society meetings.

The Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS) in the UK and Eire said that the action of the newspaper raises fears of British Muslim students.

"This comes at a time when Muslim students are already feeling threatened on university campuses, having been banned from wearing the veil at Imperial College, London, and from forming an Islamic Society at Matthew Boulton College, Birmingham," Fosis said.

Fosis, which represents over 90,000 Muslim students in the UK, said that Islamic Societies play a "highly pivotal role in bridging the gap between Muslim Students and the wider student body."

"It is important the media recognize the importance of such institutions on campus and promotes them within the positive light which they deserve," Wakkas Khan, Fosis president, said.

"We condemn the Mail on Sunday for further attempting to perpetuate the myth that University campuses are breeding grounds for radicalism and extremism," Khan said.

"If allegations of extremism were really as widespread as is often claimed, then there would be no need to resort to such measures," he added.

Last week, the University of London Union said that it was considering banning the sale of the Daily Mail following reports that its sister paper bribed students to spy on their Muslim colleagues.