Sponsored by
University Islamic Society 'front for militants'
A Yorkshire university's Islamic Society is being used as a "front" for an extremist group, a former president has told the Yorkshire Post.
Josh Wilson, who became a shabab, or activist, for Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT) while at Bradford University before quitting, said that until recently it had had a "stranglehold" on Islamic activity on campus.
He said that the university and students' union were working to promote more moderate groups, but that a minority of students were still being seduced by HT.
Last night university chiefs promised they were "taking action". HT did not respond to a request from the Yorkshire Post for an interview.
University vice-chancellor Prof Mark Cleary said: "Josh raises some concerns that the university shares and has taken action over. Whilst we must remember that Hizb ut-Tahrir is not a terror cell, nor a banned or proscribed organisation, we have been aware of its activities on our campus and we are not complacent about how its presence might influence our students.
"We are committed to working with our Students' Union on this issue. One measure we have taken is to ensure the responsible running of the university's prayer space by setting up a management group to oversee how it is run."
Mr Wilson, from Harrogate, who became a Muslim in 2003, said: "The Islamic Society at Bradford University has been run by HT for a number of years now and is effectively a front organisation.
"By the time I got involved in HT activities in the I-Soc there was a lot of focus on making it appear like it wasn't an HT society after Tony Blair mentioned that they could be banned.
"The issue with HT is not that it exposes people to violent ideologies per se but rather that it creates a world-view in which it is normal to see the world divided into camps of 'us' versus 'them'. This creates a fairly easy jumping off point to the world of violent ideas which is the real danger."
Mr Wilson, who now studies in London, said that until recently HT controlled which Imans were brought in to lecture at Friday prayers.
The university has paid for the renovation of the campus prayer room in return for new guidelines allowing more moderate students to choose speakers.
Tony Blair tried twice to ban HT, in August 2005 and late 2006, but was stopped by opposition from police and Home Office officials, who said no direct links had been found between the group and terrorism.
Last night a Home Office spokesman said the case for proscription of Hizb ut-Tahrir was kept under constant review and had to be based on evidence that it was involved in terrorism.
HT is banned in Germany, Russia and Pakistan. It advocates the creation of an Islamic state in the Middle East. The National Union of Students banned the group from its unions in 2004.
Email to a friend
Print this page- Leeds lose Ward to Palace: Is there anyone they can afford now?
- Sheffield Wednesday leaving it late to hijack Leeds United over Ward
- As Snodgrass dithers over Leeds, Warnock throws a lifeline
- Ball is in Leeds United’s court over contract - Snodgrass
- Police turning blind eye to Asian voter fraud, says MP
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
