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National Union Of Fascists
A new poll suggests that one third of British Muslim students believe that it's OK to kill for Islam if the religion is under attack (important, this). The opinion poll, conducted by the Centre for Social Cohesion, also indicates that a third of these students support the establishment of a worldwide Caliphate; believe that men and women shouldn't mix; and believe sharia law should be enforced in Muslim communities.
As one might expect, the figures have provoked a strong reaction in the press. In the Telegraph, Damian Thompson expresses some surprise that the figure is so low, considering how much encouragement radical Islam gets from public services. He also quotes the president of the National Union of Students, Wes Streeting, who says "It can only serve to generate a climate of fear on campuses."
Not the fact that a third of Muslim students support a reactionary and fascist system, and support the use of violence to promote it; oh no. Streeting reckons that the poll itself will spread fear, an opinion shared by the Federation of Student Islamic Societies, which claims that the poll is "mischievous" and unrepresentative.
A few things. First, the poll asks if students would kill in the name of Islam, if the religion was under threat. Depends what they mean by "under threat." Clearly some maniacs believe that women attending nightclubs in short skirts puts Islam "under threat." Many others might claim that the US/UK invasion of Iraq puts Islam under threat, or Israeli actions in the Middle East do likewise. But if we're generous, we might argue that many of the thirty percent who believe that killing is fine to defend Islam would do so if the religion was really under threat, such as in the unlikely event of a 21st century Crusade, a Holocaust directed towards Muslims, or nuclear attacks on certain sacred sites, as called for by some western fanatics in the few years following 9/11.
The pollsters - and newspaper commentators - need to shed more light on this figure.
Secondly, while there are 90,000 Muslims studying at British universities and some are definitely involved in terror planning and/or membership of extremist groups, the views of students rarely coincide with the public at large.
British students - and students the world over - are renowned for political extremism, generally but not exclusively in the name of left-wing causes. It is unlikely that the average politically-active student shares many beliefs with the average Joe or Jo in the street. It it probable that the average British Muslim has very little in common with the Muslim extremists in British universities, in the same way that Brits outside the academic world share few opinions with the pocket Maoists who inhabit student union offices.
Extremism on campus must be monitored and controlled; numerous students have repellent and even dangerous views. But it would be a mistake to factor the claims of these polls to the population at large.
