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The LRB Podcast

Karma Nabulsi: Snitching on Students

The LRB Podcast

London Review of Books

Society & Culture

4.4581 Ratings

🗓️ 17 May 2017

⏱️ 30 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

‘Once you start seeing everyday behaviour as having the potential to draw people into terrorism, you’re inside the problem’ – Karma Nabulsi on the British government’s Prevent programme. Read more by Karma Nabulsi in the LRB: https://lrb.me/nabulsipod Sign up to the LRB newsletter: https://lrb.me/acast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Welcome to the LRB podcast. If you subscribe to the LRB, you can save up to 75% on the cover price.

0:07.7

Visit lrb.com.uk forward slash subscribe. Or you can register for free and open up our entire

0:14.9

online archive for 24 hours. Visit lrb.com.uk forward slash open.

0:21.2

A colleague of mine at Oxford was asked to see an undergraduate who was falling behind in her work.

0:27.1

The student, a Muslim, explained that she had been suffering from depression and was being treated for it by her GP.

0:35.2

My colleague believed that the student's explanation placed her under an obligation

0:40.1

to ask the student whether she was being radicalised. A young colleague, an Arab, told me that when

0:47.0

he tried to book a room for a seminar, he was informed that this was no longer permitted on security

0:52.6

grounds. He had to get a senior academic to confirm the

0:56.6

real purpose of the meeting. Another young colleague was told that she had to carry out a security

1:02.7

risk assessment for a feminist seminar she was convening. She refused and was repeatedly pressured to

1:10.6

comply.

1:12.0

A librarian was asked for a reference by another university.

1:16.0

Are you completely satisfied, they wanted to know,

1:19.1

that the applicant is not involved in extremism,

1:23.1

being vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values,

1:27.3

including democracy, the rule of law,

1:29.8

individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.

1:36.0

Out of the blue, a college head refused the usual joint arrangements with a university centre

1:41.5

for a lecture by a very distinguished European academic,

1:46.0

whose work is on the politics of Islam.

1:49.0

Special Branch had informed the college that a great deal of extra security would be required.

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