A passerby with the head covered with a keffiyeh walks past a banner reading “Welcome to the people’s university for Palestine” at Oxford University, in Oxford on May 7, 2024, as a pro-Palestinian camp has been set up on the campus.
Adrian Dennis / AFP
Islamist groups are using student organisations at British universities to platform extremist speakers.
The United Arab Emirates has removed British universities from its list of institutions eligible for state-funded scholarships, citing concerns over Islamist radicalisation on UK campuses. Emirati officials have indicated that the decision was deliberate, reflecting growing unease about the influence of Islamist networks, including groups linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, within British higher education.
Concerns have been raised before that Islamist organisations are using student societies at UK universities to invite speakers whose lectures may promote extremist views. The Muslim Brotherhood—which aims to establish governance based on sharia law, adhering to the slogan “Islam is the solution” —has previously been the subject of scrutiny by British authorities.
Official UK figures show that during the 2023–24 academic year, 70 university students were flagged for potential referral to the ‘Prevent’ deradicalisation programme—almost double the number recorded the previous year.
The UAE’s higher education ministry published a revised list of approved overseas universities in June, including institutions in the United States, Australia, France, and Israel, while excluding all British universities. Abu Dhabi has also said it will not recognise degrees from universities not on its approved list.
The issue has also extended to the European Union, where a report published by the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Group revealed that EU institutions have directed millions of euros in public funding to organisations linked to the Muslim Brotherhood.
