Monday, October 16, 2006

Universities and Union reject campus spying

Both the Universities and the University and College Union have moved with commendable speed to reject any proposals for monitoring of students' political or religious activities. Hopefully, this one will be squashed before it can gather momentum.

UCU joint general secretary, Paul Mackney, said: 'UCU has expressed its concern to the Minister that our members may be sucked into an anti-Muslim McCarthyism which has serious consequences for civil liberties by blurring the boundaries of what is illegal and what is possibly undesirable. UCU members have a pivotal role in building trust - these proposals, if implemented, would make it all but impossible.

'There is a danger of demonising Muslims, for example by the statements of five ministers in the last couple of weeks, when actually Muslims have made enormous strides in getting more of their young people to universities and colleges.

'The government's premise is wrong: radicalisation is not the result of Islamist segregation, but government policy, especially in Afghanistan, Palestine and Iraq. Even so, radicalisation is not the same as violent extremism or terrorism.'

The senator would have been proud...

Somewhere, in the deepest recesses of the underworld, in a dark chamber, just down the corridor from Lavrenti Beria and General Franco, Senator Joe McCarthy must be sensing a certain warm, fuzzy feeling knowing that somewhere, back in the world of the living his ideals and methods are being continued, not just in his homeland but also in the good ol' United Kingdom.

The idea of a surveillance society has seen a bad press in recent years. Spying on your parents, on your children, your colleagues and your students had slipped into disrepute. Is there no such thing as moral fibre anymore?

Well, it seems that in the Department of Education there is and with the news that 'Asian-looking' students should be monitored for signs of extremism and terrorist involvement that stiffening of resolve and patriotic vigilence is to be instilled in that notoriously wish-washy lot, university lecturers.

Oh yes, there'll be tiresome arguments about the breakdown of trust between teacher and student and universities may become a little fractious but hey, that's the price of freedom. Isn't it?

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

The niqab debate: cynical, opportunistic and dangerous

The pseudo-debate over the niqab continues to rumble on. I say pseudo-debate because this is a noxious confection created for the sole purpose of enhancing the standing of certain politicians in the eyes of the most reactionary sections of the popular press and the public at large. One would have thought that the bottom of this noisome barrel had been reached with the Daily Express's 'poll' which claimed to demonstrate that the British public supported a ban on the full veil. The cause of Muslim women's rights will not be advanced in any way by the 'debate' initiated by Jack Straw. Indeed, it is more likely to reinforce the convictions of many who currently wear the niqab and add to the feeling of isolation felt by others. If there is a debate to be had on this issue then the only place that debate will be meaningful is within the Muslim community itself. Lectures by politicians and liberal commentators are unlikely to help (unless by help one means inflating the already pumped up egos of the commentariat).

Meanwhile, for a sensible take on the issue, one can turn to David Edgar in today's Guardian. Respect has also issued a statement.