The National staff
British education officials raised concerns about 190 speakers at English universities last year under a controversial government anti-radicalisation programme to prevent students from being drawn into terrorist networks.
The UK government told the sector in 2015 to improve its scrutiny of events and speakers, monitor the behaviour of students, and consider restricting internet use to ensure that “those espousing extremist views do not go unchallenged”.
The measures followed a string of high-profile cases of militant Islamists who were found to have been exposed to extremist views on campus.
They include Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, convicted in 2012 of trying to bomb a passenger flight to Detroit, who repeatedly contacted extremists while studying at University College London.
The government also identified Roshonara Choudhry — who stabbed a member of parliament in May 2010 – as being at least “partially radicalised” while studying at King’s College London. She dropped out of university because of KCL’s work with Israeli institutions and a research centre’s work studying radicalisation.
The figures are included in an assessment of reports filed by 313 educational establishments for 2015-16, the first year of the scheme’s operation.
Concerns about the 190 speakers were raised at the “highest levels” but none are believed to have resulted in events being cancelled, according to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) which monitors the programme. Then security minister John Hayes said in 2015 that it was not intended to be “a de facto ban on speakers with non-violent extremist views” from speaking on campus.
The council said the figures demonstrated that safeguards were working to manage speakers who could be considered higher risk.
It said analysis of the annual reports showed “significant progress” had been made by the higher education sector in tackling abuse, with 95 per cent of universities making “good progress” in putting anti-radicalisation measures in place.
The introduction of the measures have been met by resistance, with critics warning of the “chilling effect” they might have on free speech and the discussion of ideas on UK campuses. Opponents have included Muslim advocacy groups and student organisations.
The scheme is part of the government’s Prevent strategy, an anti-radicalisation programme to “confront and ultimately defeat the threat of extremism and terrorism”. The rules also apply to institutions such as schools, prisons and local authorities.
The interior ministry said that universities hosted at least 70 events in 2014 featuring “hate speakers”, including one event where six named speakers were on record as “expressing views contrary to British values”.
The six included Dr Salman Butt, a British biochemist and the editor-in-chief of the website Islam21C who last week lost a High Court challenge to the Prevent strategy in universities. He had claimed the policy breached the right to free speech.
The judge said the policy had increased bureaucracy but added that “I am quite unable to accept that this evidences some general chilling effect”.
The government claimed that Dr Butt had supported campaigners who sought to justify the violence of Mohammed Emwazi, the British extremist known as "Jihadi John" who is believed to have appeared in ISIL videos featuring the beheading of captives in Syria. He is separately suing the government over the labelling of him as an extremist in their notice announcing the 2015 policy.
The HEFCE report published this week also highlighted differences of opinion within educational institutions about whether internet content should be filtered.
The University of Sunderland said it had introduced web blocking to extremist material across all its networks. University College London said it would not follow the same path on the grounds of academic freedom and to prevent censorship, according to the report. Some 30 establishments have still to take a decision.
The report also revealed that more than 50,000 university employees, including cleaners and security staff, had received training under the programme to spot changes of behaviour in students. Statistics show that youngsters represent the largest number of those arrested for terrorist-related offences, and who seek to travel to join terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
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SERIES INFO
Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Abu Dhabi Sunshine Series
All matches at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Test series
1st Test: Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets
2nd Test: Wednesday, 10 March – Sunday, 14 March
Play starts at 9.30am
T20 series
1st T20I: Wednesday, 17 March
2nd T20I: Friday, 19 March
3rd T20I: Saturday, 20 March
TV
Supporters in the UAE can watch the matches on the Rabbithole channel on YouTube
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
Zayed Sustainability Prize
