UK utys to spy on Islam students

UK varsities will spy on Asian-looking and Muslim students suspected of supporting Islamic extremism.

British universities will be encouraged to spy on Asian-looking and Muslim students suspected of supporting terrorist acts and Islamic extremism, a newspaper cited a document of the British education ministry as saying on Monday.

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Muslim students from "segregated" backgrounds were more likely to support extremist stances, the 18-page document said.

It also encouraged universities to pro-actively report students to local police forces but acknowledged "concerns about police targeting certain sections of the student populations (like Muslims)," The Guardian newspaper reported.

Additionally, universities were advised to check external speakers invited to give lectures to students of Islamic societies, as they can often be "more radical speakers or preachers".

But students strongly opposed the apparent measures. Gemma Tumelty, the president of the National Union of Students said the document was attaching suspicion to Muslims "on the basis of their faith".