The Christmas Day Bombing and the Campus Extremism Debate

Since the arrest of Umar Faruk Abdulmutallab after a failed attempt to detonate a bomb on an airplane on Christmas Day, there has been a substantial amount of media coverage on his time in Britain. Much attention has been given to his years as a student at University College London and his role on that campus as the Islamic Society (ISoc) President.

This association is making many students and university staff uneasy. Campusalam offers a wealth of information for both staff and students in dealing critically with such controversial issues.

First let's review the debate. Hours after the event, the media began to print stories proposing that Abdulmutallab was radicalised whilst studying in London. The Telegraph reported that his family believes he may have been recruited by 'jihadists' during the three years he spent studying in Britain. Some were quick to link a political viewpoint such as his sponsorship of a conference critical of the War on Terror to his later attempted act of violence. These commentators see universities as a hotbed for extremist views, and, they claim, recruitment for extremely violent behaviour.

Between Christmas and the New Year, other voices began to speak out: those who knew the bomber personally. One of these was Qasim Rafiq, a former student and former Islamic Society President at UCL who knew Abdulmutallab well. He stated in an interview with the BBC that he did not believe that Umar was radicalized on campus. Qasim believed that the trouble began after Umar left university and the UK, and subsequently broke off all contact with friends and family. The UCL Islamic Society itself released a statement along the same lines: "Mr Abdulmutallab had at no stage demonstrated signs of radicalisation during his time at UCL; a point clearly reinforced by many who knew him, including student and staff members alike."

In its role as a national representative for Islamic Societies, The Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS) was quick to respond to accusations of extremism on campus. FOSIS called for a full investigation into the causes of Abdulmutallab's radicalisation, but continued to upheld its position that there remains no evidence to suggest that Muslim students are at particular risk of radicalisation, or that university campuses are especially vulnerable to people seeking recruits to commit violent acts.

The view of FOSIS seems to line up with that of the Provost of UCL, Malcolm Grant. He wrote for the Times Education Supplement, "There is no evidence yet that any of that process [of radicalisation] occurred during his [Umar's] time at UCL, but we are in any event setting up a full independent inquiry into what transpired whilst he was here and his association with the student Islamic Society and their activities. We will act on whatever recommendations come from that investigation, but the hysteria of some of the press coverage should not induce us to restrict freedom of speech on campus as a knee-jerk reaction."

It is a testimony to the freedom of speech Grant extolled that the UCL Debating Society held a public debate on this issue on the 17th of January. On one side were the public critics of Islamic Societies as "hotbeds of extremism", including Douglas Murray of the Centre for Social Cohesion and Rashad Ali from counter-extremism think tank Centri. On the other side were the President of the National Union of Students (NUS), Wes Streeting, and Phillippe Sands, professor of International Law at UCL, who argued for the proposition, "UCL is not complicit in acts of terrorism."

Many questions about Abdulmutallab remain unanswered, but the wider debate on Muslim students and extremism rages on. The way in which Muslim student groups have been positively engaging in the discussion thus far is heartening. The UCLU Islamic Society maintains that it is "committed as ever to be positive and engage in dialogue with fellow students on campus." 

In the midst of this toxic climate of suspicion and accusations, Campusalam is here to provide both university staff and students with the resources to understand and to respond with insight and creativity.

For university staff we have a section on our site about the wider context of extremism on campus. It tries to answer some common questions, even ones that people are sometimes afraid to ask, such as "How do we deal with allegations of extremism on our campus?" and "Should I be concerned if a student is expressing radical views?".

If you are a student and you feel that you are coming under suspicion either from fellow students or staff, check out our ideas on thoughtful responses.

Is this issue affecting your campus? Post your thoughts here.