Student leader groups were furious to find out that the UK Ministry of education had reportedly called on its universities to keep special watch on its Muslim and Asian students and then report its findings to a special committee.
School staff and faculty were asked to pay close attention to any student of Middle Eastern and Asian origin who may be involved in extremist groups, a report in the ‘Guardian’ said.
The move on the part of British authorities came as a result of the belief that school campuses had become a “recruiting ground” for extremist and terrorist groups, the paper added. In response, the idea of having schools keep an eye on such activities was proposed so that school staff might prevent a catastrophe as vulnerable students may get roped into groups advocating violence rather than peaceful means of achieving their goals.
The Education Ministry drew up an18-page proposal which was sent to several groups for consultation last month, with possible plans intended to ultimately be implemented at university campuses. A special government branch was to receive any reports of apparent “extremist” behavior at universities and other centers of higher education.
Discrimination, racism, and witch-hunts
However, many groups that found out about the proposed program called it discriminatory and a flagrant violation of rights.
"It sounds to me to be potentially the widest infringement of the rights of Muslim students that there ever has been in this country,” said Wakkas Khan, president of the Federation of Student Islamic Societies.
“It is clearly targeting Muslim students and treating them to a higher level of suspicion and scrutiny. It sounds like you're guilty until you're proven innocent.”
Others also criticized the proposal, such as Gemma Tumelty, president of the National Union of Students, who said, "They are going to treat everyone Muslim with suspicion on the basis of their faith. It's bearing on the side of McCarthyism,” Tumelty said, referring to the “McCarthy era” in the United States, when, at the onset of the cold war with Russia, countless Americans were blacklisted for being suspected communists.
Even if it is true, it says pay close attention students that may be involved in extremist groups. Not all muslims, the ones associated with extremist groups. That's reasonable to expect. If you are an everyday good muslim student you have nothing to fear.
The document says radicalisation on campus is unlikely to be overt: "While radicalisation may not be widespread, there is some evidence to suggest that students at further and higher educational establishments have been involved in terrorist- related activity, which could include actively radicalising fellow students on campus." The document adds: "Perhaps most importantly, universities and colleges provide a fertile recruiting ground for students.
Peace
Peace glo
Here I stand.
I can do no other.
May God help me.
Amen.
Come, let us worship and bow down •
and kneel before the Lord our Maker
[Psalm 95]
All forums not only Muslim ones are subject to being periodicaly checked by any Government agency or anybody else. Remember, we are not hidden, we are open to the public. Anybody in the world with a drop of curiosity can and will stop in to take a peek.
The internet is the worlds biggest open party line. there is no privacy in cyberspace.
provided they don't take "suspicious" looking Muslim males off to Club Gitmo,its fair for the British authorities to keep an eye,if not a close one, on Muslims.
Even if they are looking for extremists, how are they defining extremists? is it somebody who speaks the truth against B & B (G-ush and T-lair)? foreign policy? Anybody who grows a beard?
You may think - the muslims are playing the sympathy card but yet i am born british and i was seeing how my own people were playing before i even knew about Islam.
Especially the police! all because i dressed a certain way i used to get arrested on suspicion! In this fashion the police can suspect what they want and arrest whoever they want at anytime and get away with it. All they have to say is the person fits my discription.
What about the discription of a terrorist? well according to the modern sterotypical thought, i fit the frame. Beard turban and i have been called Osama so much i might as well adopt the name. But i aint no terrorist, however i was called a killer whilst walking through hospital. Its a horrible thing.
Tony Blair said the terror threat had been building for some time
Tony Blair has said he supports MI5's assessment that Britain is facing the threat of multiple terror plots.
He said the dangers were "very real" and he spoke of "poisonous propaganda" warping the minds of young people.
MI5's boss has said she knows of 30 terror plots threatening the UK and revealed that her staff had 1,600 individuals under surveillance.
Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller said attacks could be chemical or nuclear and al-Qaeda was linked to many plots.
The prime minister said the threat had "grown up over a generation" and Dame Eliza warned that it was "serious" and "growing".
Hard choices
MI5 has increased in size by nearly 50% since 9/11 and now stands at roughly 2,800 staff.
But according to Dame Eliza the current terror threat will "last a generation" and her concern is that even with MI5's rapid growth, the security service will not be able to investigate nearly enough of activities it deems to be suspicious.
She said hard choices would have to be made about resources.
"I wish life were like Spooks [the TV series] where everything is, a, knowable, and, b, solvable by six people," she explained.
Tomorrow's threat may - I suggest will - include the use of chemicals, bacteriological agents, radioactive materials and even nuclear technology
Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller
Extracts from MI5 speech
Send us your comments
Profile of MI5 chief
Dame Eliza's warning comes days after a UK man was sentenced to at least 40 years in jail for planning a series of attacks.
Attacks planned by Dhiren Barot, 34, from London, included using a so-called "dirty bomb" using radioactive material.
Mr Blair said he agreed with Dame Eliza's comments that the terrorist threat would last for a generation.
"I've been saying, as you know, for several years that this terrorist threat is very real, it's been building up over a long period of time.
"It's not just in this country, as we've seen recently from incidents in India, France, other parts of the world. This is a threat that has grown up over a generation."
Attacks thwarted
In response to Dame Eliza's warning, Massoud Shadjareh, of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, said he accepted there was a terrorist threat but it had to be put into perspective.
"Over 1,000 arrests have been made under anti-terrorism since 9/11 and out of those, 27 have been found guilty. Out of those 27, only nine have been Muslims," he said.
Dame Eliza, who rarely speaks in public, gave a speech to a small audience on Thursday, detailing what she believes her organisation and the UK is facing.
She said that, since the 7 July bombings, five further major conspiracies in the UK had been thwarted.
"Today, my officers and the police are working to contend with some 200 groupings or networks, totalling over 1,600 identified individuals - and there will be many we don't know - who are actively engaged in plotting, or facilitating, terrorist acts here and overseas," she said.
"Today we see the use of home-made improvised explosive devices.
"Tomorrow's threat may - I suggest will - include the use of chemicals, bacteriological agents, radioactive materials and even nuclear technology."
Eliza Manningham-Buller rarely speaks in public
MI5 knows of 30 terror plots threatening the UK and is keeping 1,600 individuals under surveillance, the security service's head has said.
Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller warned the threat was "serious" and "growing".
She said future attacks could be chemical or nuclear and that many of the plots were linked to al-Qaeda.
Prime Minister Tony Blair said the terrorist threat was "very real" and spoke of "poisonous propaganda" warping the minds of young people.
Hard choices
MI5 has increased in size by nearly 50% since 9/11 and now stands at roughly 2,800 staff.
But according to Dame Eliza the current terror threat will "last a generation" and her concern is that even with MI5's rapid growth, the security service will not be able to investigate nearly enough of activities it deems to be suspicious.
She said hard choices would have to be made about resources.
"I wish life were like Spooks [the TV series] where everything is, a, knowable, and, b, solvable by six people," she explained.
Tomorrow's threat may - I suggest will - include the use of chemicals, bacteriological agents, radioactive materials and even nuclear technology
Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller
Can radicalism be tackled?
Send us your comments
Profile of MI5 chief
Dame Eliza's warning comes days after a UK man was sentenced to at least 40 years in jail for planning a series of attacks.
Attacks planned by Dhiren Barot, 34, from London, included using a so-called "dirty bomb" using radioactive material.
Mr Blair also said he agreed with Dame Eliza's comments that the terrorist threat would last for a generation.
"I've been saying, as you know, for several years that this terrorist threat is very real, it's been building up over a long period of time.
"It's not just in this country, as we've seen recently from incidents in India, France, other parts of the world. This is a threat that has grown up over a generation."
Attacks thwarted
In response to Dame Eliza's warning, Massoud Shadjareh, of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, said he accepted there was a terrorist threat but it had to be put into perspective.
"Over 1,000 arrests have been made under anti-terrorism since 9/11 and out of those, 27 have been found guilty. Out of those 27, only nine have been Muslims," he said.
Dame Eliza, who rarely speaks in public, gave a speech to a small audience on Thursday, detailing what she believes her organisation and the UK is facing.
She said that, since the 7 July bombings, five further major conspiracies in the UK had been thwarted.
"Today, my officers and the police are working to contend with some 200 groupings or networks, totalling over 1,600 identified individuals - and there will be many we don't know - who are actively engaged in plotting, or facilitating, terrorist acts here and overseas," she said.
"Today we see the use of home-made improvised explosive devices.
"Tomorrow's threat may - I suggest will - include the use of chemicals, bacteriological agents, radioactive materials and even nuclear technology."
'British foot soldiers'
Out of the 200 or so groups being watched by MI5, a smaller subset are of the highest priority because it is feared that they are plotting actual attacks.
"We are aware of numerous plots to kill people and to damage our economy. What do I mean by numerous? Five? 10?
"No, nearer 30 that we currently know of.
"These plots often have linked back to al-Qaeda in Pakistan and through those links al-Qaeda gives guidance and training to its largely British foot soldiers here on an extensive and growing scale."
She added that of the 30 plots some may turn out to be less credible or advanced but it would be hard to be sure until they are fully investigated.
Tory security spokesman Patrick Mercer echoed her call for more resources, saying "we just don't have enough spooks and secret agents to make sure that our country is as safe as it could be."
There is definatly a great tribulation coming - prepare for many false accusations and Nazi type propganda from the kuffar. all Muslims sitting comfortable - sorry to spoil your day .
Even if they are looking for extremists, how are they defining extremists? is it somebody who speaks the truth against B & B (G-ush and T-lair)? foreign policy? Anybody who grows a beard?
What about the discription of a terrorist? well according to the modern sterotypical thought, i fit the frame. Beard turban and i have been called Osama so much i might as well adopt the name. But i aint no terrorist, however i was called a killer whilst walking through hospital. Its a horrible thing.
Unfortunately, I think stereotypes are going to play a part here ...
Rightly or wrongly, anybody who outwardly looks like a devout Muslim (i.e. beard, turban, hijab etc) will be treated with greater suspicion than others.
My husband said it was similar when the IRA caused so much trouble in the 70s and 80s - anybody with an Irish accent or an 'Irish look' (whatever than me be!) was under more scrutiny that others ...
It seems very crude and unfair, but how else could the real terrorists be identified? Does anybody have any thoughts?
Peace
Peace glo
Here I stand.
I can do no other.
May God help me.
Amen.
Come, let us worship and bow down •
and kneel before the Lord our Maker
[Psalm 95]
Glo, realise that the 'videos' of the people who did 9/11 and 7/7 attacks never had beards, the people wore western clothing and there were no females who did them attacks anyway.
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I wonder if this forums gets checked out ...
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