Intelligence, global terrorism and higher education: neutralising threats or alienating allies?

Journal article

The British Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 appears to have drawn universities into the security apparatus of the state. Academics and administrators have been compelled to comply with measures aimed at monitoring the activities of mostly Islamic student societies. While it is not inconceivable that universities are exploited as sites for extremist propagandising or even as recruiting grounds for extremist causes, do the new counterterrorism measures suffice to reduce the threat; and if so, even in a small measure, does it outweigh the risks of alienating the many to defeat the few? This article draws on narratives of Muslim students, their experiences of existing counterterrorism policies, to examine the effects of the new security framework and asks whether there is another way – a broader framework in which intelligence agencies and academic institutions can pool resources, not to improve statecraft, but to respond more effectively to threats, both known and unknown.

Authors: Johnson, D; Saeed, T

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• Journal: British Journal of Educational Studies
• Volume: 64
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 37-51
• Publication date: 2016-01-08
• Acceptance date: 2015-11-18
• DOI: 10.1080/00071005.2015.1123216
• EISSN: 1467-8527
• ISSN: 0007-1005
• Keywords: alienation; universities; Muslim students; counterterrorism; duty of care