Michael Burleigh

It’s time to tackle student Islamists

Waffling on about free speech and forming committees is no way to deal with nascent terrorists, says Michael Burleigh. Let’s hope the Tories do better

Waffling on about free speech and forming committees is no way to deal with nascent terrorists, says Michael Burleigh. Let’s hope the Tories do better

What would a Conservative administration do about the radicalisation of Muslims at British universities? It is a question voters must be asking, given the swell of disturbing reports about student terrorists in the press. Last weekend, it was revealed that British students have been visiting Somalia to fight for the extremist group Al-Shabab (‘The Youth’), while the Sunday Telegraph reported that Yayha Ibrahim, an extremist preacher barred from America and Australia, was planning a speaking tour of British campuses. This just weeks after underpants bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, an alumnus of University College London, attempted to murder 289 people on a Christmas Day flight to Detroit.

The Tories rightly deduce that these incidents are associated with immigration policy — and they seem determined to tackle the problem at source. David Cameron has promised to outlaw the extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, which has a strong presence on several campuses. Chris Grayling, the shadow home secretary, has pledged to introduce a £6,000 returnable bond for overseas students wanting to start a three-year course in Britain.

Whereas Labour has merely reacted to each terrorist attack by recycling existing ‘guidelines’ so as to create the illusion of action, the Tories recognise that radicalisation and terrorism are dynamic in nature and require a fleet-footed response.

The need for such vigilance should be obvious. Abdulmutallab is only the latest British university graduate to try his hand at terrorism. Others include Omar Saeed Sheikh, the kidnapper and murderer, a former London School of Economics student; Mohammed Siddique Khan, the Leeds Metropolitan graduate and 7/7 tube bomber; and Kafeel Ahmed, president of Queen’s University Belfast’s Islamic Society, who blew himself up at Glasgow airport.

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