London's University for Islamists
At one of Britain’s most prestigious universities, extremist ideology and antisemitism are becoming the new norm.
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This is a guest essay by Nicole Lampert, a journalist and commentator.
You can also listen to the podcast version of this essay on Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, YouTube, and Spotify.
Editor’s Note: On Sunday, it was announced that the United Arab Emirates has curtailed subsidies for Emirati citizens to attend UK universities, citing concern that they will become radicalized by the Muslim Brotherhood there, according to British media.
University College London (UCL) is one of Britain’s most prestigious universities — and one of its most radicalised. It is a striking example of the hatred and extremism now seen across many university campuses.
The big question is: Who will act? How much longer can this be ignored?
In just a few months, UCL will mark its 200th anniversary. When it launched in February 1826 as a university outside Oxford and Cambridge, its decision to admit people of all religions sparked outrage. Esteemed educator Thomas Arnold called it a “godless institution in Gower Street.”
From the start, UCL promoted inclusion. It was founded by a diverse group and became the second British university to award degrees to women. Notably, it admitted Jewish students and offered Hebrew and Jewish Studies from day one. Today, UCL is the second-largest university in the UK, and Jewish students make up about 1 per cent of its student body.
By almost any measure, UCL’s 200th anniversary should be a triumph. It is now recognized as one of the world’s leading universities. Yet for Jews and others concerned about extremism, the question remains: “Just how much worse can it get?”
After the Hamas-led massacre of October 7th, anti-Zionism — already present at many elite Russell Group universities — exploded. At UCL, the problem is particularly acute, even after the Gaza war ended with a shaky ceasefire.
In November, Dr. Samar Maqusi, a former UCL researcher lecturing on Zionism, repeated an anti-Jewish conspiracy claiming Jews had murdered a monk and used his blood to bake holy bread. Ophthalmology professor Michel Michaelides reposted tweets about “cult Zions” controlling the BBC. Lecturer James Smith joined Greta Thunberg on a flotilla to “break the blockade of Gaza.”
Meanwhile, UCL’s branch of the University and College Union passed a motion calling for “intifada until victory” shortly after the Hamas attacks. This year, it has criticized the university for “normalizing” relations with Israel. UCL’s obsession with Israel runs deep.
Extremism on campus extends beyond words. Two former students face charges linked to the now-banned group Palestine Action. Qesser Zuhrah, 20 years old, a social sciences student, ended a 48-day hunger strike after her arrest. Zahra Farooque, who graduated in 2021, is in custody charged with aggravated burglary, criminal damage, and violent disorder for targeting an Israel-based weapons factory.
At a packed October 28th event titled Who are the Filton 24?, a letter from Qesser was read, stating: “History is not the work of heroes. History and justice is simply the work of you and me; of us. As we shamefully arrive at two years of a genocide in Gaza, I am reminding you all that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, more urgent than the pursuit of justice, the pursuit of life and the pursuit of liberation. Two years ago, Gaza called and we responded.”
Earlier this month, UCL neuroscience student Mohammed Nasser was arrested after allegedly assaulting a pro-Israel demonstrator in Brighton. Even university leadership shows troubling connections. UCL’s director of equality, inclusion, and culture, Addeel Khan, is a trustee of Save One Life UK, a charity under investigation for links to Hamas.
Protests against Israel occur almost weekly on campus. Last month, Professor Ralph Wilde claimed Israel had no legal right to exist and appeared to question its right to defend itself against Hamas. On December 12th, the Centre for the Study of Racism and Racialisation held a commemorative event for Refaat Alareer, a Palestinian poet who supported the October 7th Hamas-led terror attack.
Students describe an environment of hostility. “Many Jewish people only go on campus for lectures,” said Dov Forman, a third-year student and anti-antisemitism activist. “I have friends who have left their accommodation because they feel scared. There’s an Islamist and hard-left student bloc trying to terrorize Jewish students every day.”
“Zionists are seen as inherently evil, so Jews are too. If someone screams ‘Baby killer’ or ‘From the River to the Sea,’ other students stay silent. I don’t know if it’s fear or agreement,” Forman added.
Some academics echo these concerns. Professor Joseph Mintz said: “A strain of progressive thinking aligns with Islamism in its anti-Western positioning, making antisemitism acceptable. Universities are traducing the societies they are part of. Antisemitism is one significant expression of that.”
Another Jewish professor, speaking anonymously, adds: “Many colleagues disagree with these extremist positions, but they only say so in secret. No one will speak out publicly.”
UCL’s history shows the danger of ignoring extremism. In 2009, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who had run the Islamic Society at UCL, attempted to detonate explosives on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. Just a year later, UCL partnered with Qatar (a Hamas sponsor) to open a campus in Doha. The deal ended in 2020.
In 2022, a report commissioned after rising antisemitism noted “threats of physical violence and death against both Jewish students and staff.” It found that reporting incidents was inhibited by fears of “bad faith” accusations or disbelief.
The university hired the nation’s first antisemitism program manager, reporting to Addeel Khan, whose history of pro-Palestine activism raised concerns. In videos, he has worn a “Gaza Unity Appeal” T-shirt and participated in a fundraising flotilla called “Team River 2 the Sea.”
UCL still struggles with definitions of antisemitism. While the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition is widely used, UCL decided in 2021 to adopt four different definitions, none enforceable in disciplinary procedures, only meant to “illuminate debate.”
After October 7, 2023, complaints surged. By November, 500 alumni, including former education secretary Nadhim Zahawi, called for action against societies harassing Jewish students. While UCL has taken some steps — such as removing a pro-Palestine encampment after 100 days, banning Maqusi, and reporting incidents to police — pro-Palestine demonstrations continue.
Second-year Jewish student Evelyn said she chose UCL for its history of supporting Jewish students, but found the opposite: “In the past month alone, I’ve been accused of supporting genocide, blocked from walking on campus, and harassed simply for being Jewish, all while security looked on.”
Evelyn warned: “This untrammeled antisemitism is a sign of a bigger problem — a radicalisation of British society. UCL must confront this extremism instead of fostering it.”
There is no way to live peacefully with Islam, no way. It has to be BANNED and determined and branded as a CRIME, that“ s all I can say. Referring to Einstein, if you let in the same bunch of dangerous idiots over and over again, how can you expect better results.
Sadly, UCL is far from unique.
Eg Kings College has been hoovering up Qatari money for decades.
We need a nation-wide survey of just how many British universities have received Qatari funding & how much.