Listening to Muslim Students’ Voices on the Prevent Duty in British Universities: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

The Prevent Duty requires universities in the United Kingdom to identify and report students who might be seen as ‘vulnerable’ to radicalisation. Since its introduction in 2015, the duty has been subject to increasing empirical research in the education sector. However, there has been limited research that specifically explores Muslim students’ perceptions of Prevent in British universities. This paper directly addresses this gap in research by drawing upon the qualitative experiences of 25 university students who self-identified as ‘British Muslims’. Individual, semi-structured interviews were transcribed and analysed using Thematic Analysis. The findings demonstrate the securitisation of higher education and ‘policing’ of Muslim students. The paper draws on Pantazis and Pemberton’s use of the ‘new suspect community’ thesis in order to examine participants’ views and experiences. When analysing the data, three particular themes are especially prominent: as a tool of ‘surveillance’, Prevent hampers freedom of speech, threatens student activism and forces Muslim students to hide their Muslim identity to avoid being labelled as ‘radical’ or ‘vulnerable’ to terrorism. It will be concluded that the ‘surveillance’ function of Prevent is problematic on the grounds that it renders universities ‘modern-day panopticons’.

The Politic of Everyday Counter-Terrorism: Online Performances and Responsibilities of the Prevent Duty in UK Higher Education Institutions

“…The conquistador’s directives are usurped to perform roles that appease the dominant force but also serve to function in a localised context and manner. Indeed, as Zempi and Tripli (2022) attest, everyday similarities can be drawn to marginal university groups such as Muslim students, who fall under a gaze of surveillance due to the Duty. They remain conscious of their positioning on campus and can alter their activities to avoid suspicions or accusations of radicalisation and extremism (Awan et al, 2019; Spiller et al, 2018).…”

“…HEIs, as we have seen, have made clear efforts to comply with the Duty’s requirements; however, they are equally aware of the concerns and controversy that surrounds it (Zempi and Tripli, 2022). Consequently, HEIs have sought to reassure their audiences as to the intentions and effects of the Duty.…”

“…Further concerns highlight the strategic positioning of counterterrorism measures that undermine the political expression of Muslim and BIPOC populations in the UK and elsewhere (Sian, 2017;Meier, 2022), in addition to the damaging habituation of Islamophobia and resulting curtailments and surveillance of dissent voices (see Massoumi, 2021;Najib, 2021). This points to the broader and recurring trends of institutionalised discrimination toward populations deemed 'other' (see Younis, 2021;Zempi and Tripli, 2022).…”

“…Further concerns highlight the strategic positioning of counter-terrorism measures that undermine the political expression of Muslim and Black, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC) populations in the UK and elsewhere (Sian, 2017;Meier, 2022), in addition to the damaging habituation of Islamophobia and resulting curtailments and surveillance of dissent voices (see Massoumi, 2021;Najib, 2021). This points to the broader and recurring trends of institutionalised discrimination towards populations deemed 'other' (see Younis, 2021;Zempi and Tripli, 2022). The analysis and discussion that informs this article takes an equally critical perspective of the Duty; our position, in common with much of the existing literature, questions its processes, practices and the range of interpretations that follow.…”

“…The application of the Duty in HEIs has been less than straightforward (Scott-Baumann and Perfect, 2021; Zempi and Tripli, 2022). What we have observed when reviewing the application of the Duty in HEIs is, on the one hand, their adherence to the requirements of the Duty but, on the other, their idiosyncrasies or localised responses.…”