Sharia Shenanigans

This is a guest post for Student Rights by Natalie Wold.  Views expressed in this piece do not constitute Student Rights’ views or opinions on the matter discussed.

Sunday, while meeting a friend for lunch near Whitehall I had the privilege of witnessing the hundreds of protesters who took the streets of London in protest for and against Sharia Law.  Group one, Muslims Against The Crusades purportedly by Al-Muhajiroun chanted their views against democracy and their favour for Sharia law by holding signs such as “Democracy is the cancer, Sharia is the Answer”.   While the other peaceful group was lead by One Law for All and Iran Solidarity to mark the anniversary of the killing of protester Neda Agha-Soltan in Iran last year.

I’ve always heard of the remarks made by groups such as Muslims Against The Crusades on the television but this was the first time I have ever seen it up and personal.  It was a scene so striking that anyone who passed the chanting of “Sharia will dominate the world” and isn’t worried about the future of the Western world has a lot to wake up to.

After watching from a distance I became so captivated I made my way over to the front lines of the protestors and immersed myself in the group.  What caught my eye the most was the group of boys around the age of twelve or thirteen holding signs reading, “UK watch your Back, Islam is Coming Back” and “Man Made Law go to Hell” as well as another boy violently waving a flag while debating a spectator saying how he could kill her with his wooden flag pole.
While listening to all of this, I began a discussion with a member and spokesperson of Muslims Against The Crusades and asked him about the demonstration.  He made it clear that they were only there to spread the work of Sharia and express unfairness the media has placed upon them.
The only thought that was racing through my mind was the radicalisation and brainwashing of those young boys who were waving their flags and holding their signs, shouting out “Death to democracy”.  I can only imagine how far those young boys will go in the movement of taking down democracy in the world and how manipulative and violent they with become in order to obtain Sharia.

Zakir Naik banned from entering the UK

‘Coming to the UK is a privilege not a right, and I am not willing to allow those who might not be conducive to the public good to enter the UK.’

The words of Home Secretary Teresa May resonate around the counter-terror and counter-radicalisation blogs this morning as ‘hate preacher’ Zakir Naik is halted in his attempt to enter the UK for a series of speeches.

On June 1st, Student Rights submitted an ‘Open Letter to David Cameron’ alongside a petition which gained 68 signatures.

Since then, the Home Office has been working to explore Naik’s previous speeches, including one now infamous incident where Naik stated of Osama Bin Laden, “If he is terrorising the terrorists, if he is terrorising America the terrorist, the biggest terrorist, every Muslim should be a terrorist.”

Student Rights spokesman Raheem Kassam has stated, “It’s a promising precedent that this government is alert to the dangers of radicalisation. Speakers such as Naik are touring the UK and we must expose and impede them to stop them spreading hate across the country.”

The video below shows Zakir Naik speaking in late 2006…

How do you solve a problem like funding cuts?

 There’s been a lot of talk recently about university funding cuts and the implications for students, jobs, and the future of higher education in the United Kingdom.  Cambridge University has begun employing a quasi-American model to fix this problem – donors… lots and lots of donors.
In 2005 (in an act of prescience, no doubt) Cambridge University began their largescale fundraising drive, calling upon alumni and friends to donate to keeping the institution a, ‘world leader in teaching and research’.  And my has it paid off.
Since the beginning of the campaign (which marks Cambridge’s 800th anniversary), the university has raised over £1bn and is the first institution outside of the United States to have done so.  More than 45,000 alumni have contributed to raising the funds, with many making regular financial gifts.
But there are other factors to consider.  While commercialisation and gifts can help to pull universities out of some inevitable funding problems, Cambridge attracts a lot of international attention and high-earning alumni.  They also distinctly outspend other organisations.  From what we can tell from their recent Annual Reports, this level of funding is equal to the net expenditure for the organisation for just one year… and it took 5 years to obtai

Our first Parliamentary Candidate Research Report

A new Student Rights report has revealed growing support for tough action against extremism and radicalisation in the UK, specifically on university campuses.



We surveyed 164 parliamentary candidates during the general election campaign period, revealing that over 90% of prospective parliamentarians are aware and greatly concerned about extremism in the UK.

Raheem Kassam, Director of Student Rights comments: “It is greatly encouraging that such a majority of potential lawmakers in this country are aware that radicalisation is a growing problem. What we would like to see now is staunch action alongside university and police authorities in tackling extremism and the recruitment that is occurring on campuses UK-wide. It must start with proscribing the Islamist group ‘Hizb-ut-Tahrir’ immediately.”

- The report asked ten questions of candidates standing for Parliament and revealed that most candidates and re-standing MPs are cognisant of extremism issues, however felt that they were underinformed on some issues, especially pertaining to university matters and radical group ‘Hizb-ut-Tahrir’.

- A majority of candidates endorsed Special Branch action on campuses, while maintaining that university authorities also need to be pushing a lot harder against radicalisation on campuses – actively tackling issues when they arise.

- Freedom of speech is maintained as an ideal by the findings of the survey, however in the face of security concerns, 68% of candidates responded that threats must be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Only 4.9% endorsed absolute freedom of speech, even in the case of hate-speech or threats.

- Conservative Party candidates appeared the most attuned to these matters, with 100% being ‘concerned greatly’, with 90.6% of Lib Dems responding in the same manner and 87.5% for Labour.

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT HERE

Student website shut down over ‘unwelcome distraction’ claim

FitFinder, the popular social networking website for UK students, has been temporarily taken down due to pressure from universities over the perceived distraction to students, confirms the site’s creator and University College London student, Rich Martell.




Rich has been fined £300 by the University College London for ‘bringing the college into disrepute’ as his flirtacious website aimed at rating the attractiveness of students has apparently caused an ‘unwelcome distraction’ on campuses across the UK.



Fitfinder has been a phenomenon, attracting millions of visitors and serious interest from advertisers and investors. However, at the beginning of May, one week after launch, the Joint Academic NETwork (JANET), the UK’s education and research network blocked FitFinder from UK university networks over issues with the perceived level of distraction offered by the site. However, the ban was lifted within 24 hours following floods of complaints from students across the country.



Creator Martell has insisted, “It’s flattering to think that FitFinder is perceived as a threat to study time. But are students spending any more time on FitFinder that they would on, say, Facebook or Twitter? Not a chance.”



It’s interesting to note that you can access Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and all other forms of ‘distracting’ social networking sites from on campuses, which would mean perhaps it’s not just the distraction that’s the issue for UCL and JANET here. It looks like the institutions are taking issue with the nature of the website itself, which asks members to rate the attractiveness of fellow students.



Student Rights note, “It’s not right for universities to be blocking websites like this and/or fining students for entreprenurship – even if the site did start off as a joke. It’s clearly turned into something of a web phenonmenon albeit locally thus far and UCL and JANET should take a step back and focus on more serious issues on campuses across the country.”



A petition has garnered over 6000 signatures so far and can be signed by clicking here.

An open letter to Prime Minister David Cameron

It was reported this weekend that ‘preacher of hate’ Zakir Naik will begin a tour of the UK unless immediate action is taken by the UK Home Office to stop his entry into Britain.


In response to this, Student Rights Director Raheem Kassam has written an open letter to Prime Minister David Cameron, urging Naik to be banned from entry into the UK. A petition can be signed here and a video of Mr. Naik is available underneath the text.

Dear Prime Minister,


It has been brought to my attention that the Home Office is currently assessing the situation regarding Zakir Naik, who has been described as an ‘Islamist hate-preacher and truth-twister’.

I am writing to express my deep concern that this individual may be allowed entry to the UK in order to promote and glorify acts of terrorism — causing far reaching implications within the already divided Muslim community in the United Kingdom.

A few examples of Mr. Naik’s preaching reveal him to be a sympathiser with Osama Bin Laden. He stated, “If [Osama Bin Laden] is terrorising Americans… then I am with him,” while also asserting that “Every Muslim should be a terrorist.”

Given your previous stated desire in combatting this form of extremism and your voting record regarding opposition to incitement to terror in the United Kingdom, I urge you to act immediately and decisively to set a precedent. It must be made clear that the UK will not tolerate extremism and that we will do our utmost to promote plurality and peace in a modern, multi-ethnic Britain.

Yours sincerely,


Raheem Kassam

National Director

The video below shows Zakir Naik speaking in late 2006…

What are your Vice-Chancellors worth?

In this age of cuts, we would do well to accept that there are indeed areas where universities should be able to make savings and yet keep delivering and improving upon the standards of education. It can happen, but it requires a firm hand. Where I’d like to start is by asking you, do your Vice Chancellors earn an appropriate amount of money?




Recently, Douglas Murray from the Centre for Social Cohesion outlined in an article for the Telegraph how much University College London Provost Malcolm Grant earns. Between 2008 and 2009, it appears that Malcolm Grant earned a whopping £376,190. So much for the old adage, “Those who can’t… teach.”



Furthermore, it would appear as outlined by The Times Online, that ‘bidding wars’ have emerged at universities for the ‘best’ lecturers and managers – a private sector, market-based practice which should effectively have no sway in the public sector – which universities very much still are. About £200m has just yesterday been cut from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills budget for universities.



An analysis of university accounts has shown that in 2008-9 the number of employees on six-figure pay increased by 17% and the pay of vice-chancellors went up nearly 11% to an average of £219,000. The highest paid included Malcolm Grant, provost of University College London, who received £376,190.



While Bristol University serves as an example by tightening their belts and freezing the pay of lecturers and Vice Chancellors, other universities blame 2006 agreements for the pay rises. So we ask you, are your lecturers, middle-managers and Vice Chancellors really worth six-figure salaries. Even if you agree, at a cost to the taxpayer and the fee-paying student – where on Earth does it stop?