‘Decolonisation’ Hampers Research in Islamic Counter-Terrorism: Expert

Some academics may be self-censoring, as universities increasingly adopt decolonization policies that some claim are incompatible with counter-terrorism research into Islamism or Jihadism.

Steven Greer, a Professor at the University of Bristol, was in February. He is a leading authority on human right, especially with regard to anti-terrorism legislation. spoke to multiple media outlets After students made false statements, he was forced to hide in fear for his safety. “Islamophobia” accusations.

Greer said he was forced to wear a disguise carry a weapon for his own protection after Bristol University’s Islamic Society (BriSoc) at the University of Bristol Law School complained that elements of his course were “racist” and “discriminatory.”

The university closed its investigation into Greer’s module on October 20, 2121. “found no evidence of Islamophobic speech.” Bristol Law School is still deciding to remove his “Islam, China, and the Far East” Module from the syllabus to avoid disturbing Muslims

Greer warned since that he also fears academic freedom.

“Many academics, fearing being falsely labelled as hostile to minorities by woke campaigners, are already actively self-censoring to avoid any potential backlash,” He said The Telegraph.

Decolonization

Charlotte Littlewood, Henry Jackson Society research fellow and ex-Prevent practitioner, warned of funding opportunities for universities to implement decolonization measures that could compromise counter-terrorism studies.

Prevent is a multi-agency government-led program that prevents individuals from becoming terrorists.

Around 70% of UK universities are accredited. including Bristol UniversitySome form of decolonisation is being undertaken by. It doesn’t have any specific definition but it has many meanings. “seeks to rewrite academic curricula as well as reorder the university as an institution, in the name of making them more ‘inclusive.'”

This means universities are now under considerable pressure to comply Recognize concepts such as “colonialism” All courses must be free from racial biases.

Littlewood claimed that teaching is best done through the lense decolonisation “will have a negative impact on being able to talk about terrorism and radicalisation whilst looking at the Islamic ideology.”

“And if you do look at that, and then it’s negative about Islam in some way, do you then run counter to the decolonisation network?” She asked.

She said that many decolonization supporters are inclined to believe that the “UK is institutionally racist, racist, rather than actually looking at how we teach things from different perspectives.”

An article titled “Tracing the Coloniality of Britain’s Counterterrorism Strategy” Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right – Prevent’s focus on Muslims in the United States (CARR) “War on Terror” “has imposed surveillance infrastructures on Muslim communities, serving to energise Islamophobia and the precariousness of the Muslim experience in Britain.”

Prevent

An independent review of the legislation was conducted last month. British government’s Prevent strategy It is “not doing enough to counter non-violent Islamist extremism” “has a double standard when dealing with the extreme right-wing and Islamism.”

The Prevent strategy was influenced, according to the report. “cultural timidity” “institutional hesitancy” Fear of being accused Islamophobia

It concluded that Prevent often fails to recognize the danger posed by Islamism, and instead disproportionately focuses its attention on right-wing extremism.

Despite the fact that the UK is a high-priority target of Islamist extremists, who pose a significant threat for the country, this is not the case.

According to the domestic counter-intelligence and security agency Mi5Terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq including Al Qaeda, ISIS and others possess “both the intention and the capability to direct attacks against the West.”

The author added that “majority of terrorist attack plots in this country have been planned by British residents.” According to security services, the UK has several thousand individuals who support violent extremism.

Major universities offering courses in international security, security, and terrorism do not specifically mention Jihadism or Islamism. Kings College London mentions terrorist attacks on jihadi targets around the globe in its Terrorism, Security & Society MA.

Antisemitism

Harry Saul Markham, a junior research fellow at Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy Advisory Board, Academics for Academic Freedom told The Epoch Times that there was a reluctance to study what he called “the normalisation of Islamist thinking in swathes of our Muslim communities.”

He called it a lack of understanding and said it meant it was a clear lack of understanding. “antisemitism distortion.”

Markham claimed that he once gave a talk at a synagogue, in Germany, and was then surrounded by armed officers in 2017.  “It’s like going into a prison,” He stated.

Markham pointed to a Report by the New York Times that said police statistics in Germany attributed 89 percent of all anti-Semitic crimes to right-wing extremists. However, an EU survey in 2019 41% of respondents believed that the perpetrator was responsible for the most serious incident. “someone with a Muslim extremist view.”

This information is highly problematic because it leads to policymakers and legislators having an incorrect understanding of the situation, making antisemitism policies ineffective.

“We are up against it,” He said that, and added that “If you don’t have an understanding of what’s actually going on, you can’t put policies in place to resolve it.”

Chris Summers contributed this report.