University of Nottingham initiative to weed out thought crime
University Challenged | 01.07.2009 10:12 | Education | Terror War
Reading lists at the University of Nottingham are being screened for material linked to terrorism. The university has set up a committee to advise lecturers on what is suitable to teach and to speak to police about material if necessary.
It follows the arrest of PhD student Rizwaan Sabir last May, after he downloaded an "al-Qaeda training manual" for his academic studies.
The 24-year-old was eventually released without charge after being detained under the Terrorism Act for six days.
Hicham Yezza, also wrongfully arrested, languishes in prison as a result of the blunder.
The case stirred controversy all over the world as scholars said it represented an attack on academic freedom.
Mr Sabir, who is studying the evolution of militant Islam at the university, rightly believes the Module Review Committee is another threat to academic freedom.
He said: "This ethics committee is extremely worrying.
"It could stifle potential areas of study as academics might not put something on a reading list because this committee might pick it up.
"It's preventing people from understanding the deeper objectives and motivations of terrorists which we need to do to tackle this threat."
Gearoid O Cuinn, a member of the Free Hicham Campaign, said: "We regard the vetting of reading lists as a bureaucratic entity dictating what can and cannot be studied.
"It disrupts the pursuit of knowledge and calls into question who the expert is in judging what material should be studied.
"It represents a change in the way information is managed and acts as another level of control on information."
A document about the committee says it assesses whether any material on reading lists could be "illegal" or could "incite violence".
The School of Politics teaches almost 100 modules and its readings lists contain many thousands of potential books and study materials.
Some brown-tongued flunkies at the University of Nottingham say that the committee will prevent students being arrested again.
Dr Macdonald Daly, associate professor in the Department of Cultural Studies, said: "I think that given what happened a year ago because of a problem with a student downloading an al-Qaeda training manual, the university is being commendably cautious."
Dr Daly and Dr Sean Matthews have written a tedious screed about last year's protests against the University of Nottingham to boost their flagging careers and make a quick buck.
Their book, Academic Freedom and the University of Nottingham, makes opportunistic attacks on fellow lecturers who supported the campaign and allegedly brought the institution's name into disrepute.
Both support the setting up of the committee.
Dr Matthews, director of the DH Lawrence Research Centre, said: "It's more about defending the right to study controversial materials properly and is the opposite of censorship."
Dr Daly, associate professor in the Department of Cultural Studies, said: "The university is making sure there are no further problems."
Steve Fielding, Professor of political history at the University of Nottingham, has said that the policy is there to "protect staff" and "is not an attempt to undermine academic freedom".
The university reports that no reading materials have so far caused any concern for the committee and need for special arrangements.
The 24-year-old was eventually released without charge after being detained under the Terrorism Act for six days.
Hicham Yezza, also wrongfully arrested, languishes in prison as a result of the blunder.
The case stirred controversy all over the world as scholars said it represented an attack on academic freedom.
Mr Sabir, who is studying the evolution of militant Islam at the university, rightly believes the Module Review Committee is another threat to academic freedom.
He said: "This ethics committee is extremely worrying.
"It could stifle potential areas of study as academics might not put something on a reading list because this committee might pick it up.
"It's preventing people from understanding the deeper objectives and motivations of terrorists which we need to do to tackle this threat."
Gearoid O Cuinn, a member of the Free Hicham Campaign, said: "We regard the vetting of reading lists as a bureaucratic entity dictating what can and cannot be studied.
"It disrupts the pursuit of knowledge and calls into question who the expert is in judging what material should be studied.
"It represents a change in the way information is managed and acts as another level of control on information."
A document about the committee says it assesses whether any material on reading lists could be "illegal" or could "incite violence".
The School of Politics teaches almost 100 modules and its readings lists contain many thousands of potential books and study materials.
Some brown-tongued flunkies at the University of Nottingham say that the committee will prevent students being arrested again.
Dr Macdonald Daly, associate professor in the Department of Cultural Studies, said: "I think that given what happened a year ago because of a problem with a student downloading an al-Qaeda training manual, the university is being commendably cautious."
Dr Daly and Dr Sean Matthews have written a tedious screed about last year's protests against the University of Nottingham to boost their flagging careers and make a quick buck.
Their book, Academic Freedom and the University of Nottingham, makes opportunistic attacks on fellow lecturers who supported the campaign and allegedly brought the institution's name into disrepute.
Both support the setting up of the committee.
Dr Matthews, director of the DH Lawrence Research Centre, said: "It's more about defending the right to study controversial materials properly and is the opposite of censorship."
Dr Daly, associate professor in the Department of Cultural Studies, said: "The university is making sure there are no further problems."
Steve Fielding, Professor of political history at the University of Nottingham, has said that the policy is there to "protect staff" and "is not an attempt to undermine academic freedom".
The university reports that no reading materials have so far caused any concern for the committee and need for special arrangements.
University Challenged
Comments
Display the following 3 comments