University staff asked to inform on 'vulnerable' Muslim students

[sweefs]

ridiculous on so many levels.

University staff including lecturers, chaplains and porters are being asked to inform the police about Muslim students who are depressed or isolated under new guidance for countering Islamist radicalism.The move has resulted in deep discomfort among university lecturers and student union officials who wish to combat terrorism but say the new strategy is an infringement of students’ civil liberties.
Officials implementing the government’s revamped Prevent strategy are training frontline university employees in how to spot students vulnerable to extremism. Documents handed to staff claim that students who seem depressed or who are estranged from their families, who bear political grievances, or who use extremist websites or have poor access to mainstream religious instruction could be at risk of radicalisation.
The National Union of Students has told its officers that they do not have to provide police with details about students unless they are presented with a warrant.
Local authority workers and police officers have been introducing the new strategy over the last month. Inquiries by the Guardian show that colleges in Lancashire and London have been approached by police and local authorities.
James Haywood, president of Goldsmiths college students’ union in south-east London, met two Prevent officials last week. He said they began by asking about Muslim students and whether the college had problems with its Islamic Society.
“We were appalled to have Prevent officers asking us to effectively spy on our Muslim students. To pass on details of a student who the police consider ‘vulnerable’ is not only morally repugnant but is against the confidential nature of pastoral support. After the rise of hate groups such as the English Defence League, and the recent massacre in Norway, why are Prevent not also telling us to refer on students who have an irrational hatred of Islam?” he said.
Universities that agree to the renewed version of the scheme are trained to refer “at risk” students to Prevent officials. The student is then monitored by a panel including a detective from Scotland Yard, who assess any potential terror threat. The student is not made aware at any stage that they are under investigation.
The Prevent strategy was first launched in 2007 and sought to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. It was relaunched in June and refocused on universities after it was revealed in January that “underpants bomber” Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had studied at University College London.
In June, the home secretary, Theresa May, said the original strategy had resulted in “complacency around universities” and that Labour had not been “sufficiently willing to recognise what can be happening on … campuses”.
A recent government report said there were 40 English universities where there could be a “particular risk” of radicalisation, although the names of the universities have not been released.
The University and College Union (UCU) said that the government’s strategy risked damaging the relationship between staff and students. “Staff have made it quite clear that they do not wish to police their students or engage in any activity that might erode the trust between them and students,” it said.
The Federation of Student Islamic Societies, an organisation that provides support to Muslim students across the UK and Ireland, said: "Spying on a completely innocent group of people is an affront to our human rights. Islamic Societies and Muslim students make a positive contribution to British civic life – and they must be supported.
“We have continued in our dialogue with the government to say that engaging with Muslim students, not spying on them, is what will make our country safer and more cohesive. Prevent is long-discredited now in civic society. We need an intelligent approach to security policy rather than one driven by political motives.”
Professor Ted Cantle, executive chair of the Institute of Community Cohesion, warned that the government’s new policy risked stigmatising Muslims.
“The government shouldn’t be bringing in people who have little understanding of the Muslim community and radicalisation and asking them to pronounce and point the finger,” he said.
The Home Office defended the new policy. "The Prevent programme is about stopping people being drawn into terrorism. We all have an interest in that and we expect universities and colleges to play a full and constructive role in that aim.
“The new Prevent strategy helps universities and colleges fulfil their duty of care to their students. The government has not received any representations from educational institutions saying they will not take part.”

University staff asked to inform on 'vulnerable' Muslim students

[NomiCA]

Re: University staff asked to inform on ‘vulnerable’ Muslim students

all the mozlems can’t even study in peace now??

[ll_xx_ll]

Re: University staff asked to inform on ‘vulnerable’ Muslim students

jesus christ …wow … ryte cuz all of us who are a little sad one day are gonna become terrorists? such a nonsensical view point really

[sweefs]

Re: University staff asked to inform on ‘vulnerable’ Muslim students

@llxxll

jesus christ …wow … ryte cuz all of us who are a little sad one day are gonna become terrorists? such a nonsensical view point really

well.. not really.

Documents handed to staff claim that students who seem depressed or who are estranged from their families, who bear political grievances, or who use extremist websites or have poor access to mainstream religious instruction could be at risk of radicalisation.
The National Union of Students has told its officers that they do not have to provide police with details about students unless they are presented with a warrant.

it’s just that like they stated int he article, civil liberties human rights etc etc. you can’t expect uni staff to keep an eye out and gradually build up evidence against a student. do you know how wrong it could go? and even to put someone through that, just on the basis of ‘following the strategy’ and inspection that could lead to a very very wrong conclusion.. scarring.

[Naabigh]

Re: University staff asked to inform on 'vulnerable' Muslim students

Writing universities staff to keep an eye - balkay both eyes - on Sweet.I>f :)

[sweefs]

Re: University staff asked to inform on ‘vulnerable’ Muslim students

HEY. im a model student!

[Naabigh]

Re: University staff asked to inform on ‘vulnerable’ Muslim students

@sweet.i.f

HEY. im a model student!

Bad role model Oh yea Fully agreed

[Mirch]

Re: University staff asked to inform on ‘vulnerable’ Muslim students

@sweet.i.f

HEY. im a model student!

Yep you are a namoona.

[sweefs]

Re: University staff asked to inform on 'vulnerable' Muslim students

mean :(

[Naabigh]

Re: University staff asked to inform on 'vulnerable' Muslim students

but how they are planning to do it ... like having a survey to mark the potential vulnerables or what ?

[Mirch]

Re: University staff asked to inform on ‘vulnerable’ Muslim students

@Naabigh

but how they are planning to do it … like having a survey to mark the potential vulnerables or what ?

This:
University staff including lecturers, chaplains and porters are being asked to inform the police about Muslim students who are depressed or isolated under new guidance for countering Islamist radicalism.

So

If you like to go back to your dorm room and study instead of hanging out with other kids you can be reported because you are isolated. If you are sad and feeling low because of something bad you can be reported

[Naabigh]

Re: University staff asked to inform on 'vulnerable' Muslim students

I demand you to read my rights here :)

Btw if they hire some desi khala sorta females for this yoke - problems will be sloved .. They are the greatest spies one can meet ...

They can even tell you .... kay Farzana k larki ka kis kis larke ka sath chakar hai .... ShabaNa ka mian usay week mein kitnee bar marta hai ... zubeda k ghar Thursday ko kia handi bante hai

This university spying shyte is going to be a piece of cake for them :)