Now UAE pulling funding for UK universities amid growing radicalisation fears
When we hear that the UAE are discreetly stopping funding for their kids to come to world class UK universities citing their worry of radicalisation, you know something is very wrong.
In a striking move that highlights growing geopolitical tensions, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has quietly stepped back from the UK and restricted government funding for its citizens to study at British universities. This decision, formalised in June 2025 with a list of approved global institutions excluded all those in the UK, even elite schools like Oxford and Cambridge. This withdrawal of funds comes directly from UAE concerns over Islamist radicalisation on UK campuses and the failure of multiple governments to address it.
The infiltration of radical Islam
UAE officials have cited the pervasive influence of groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, which the UAE classifies as a terrorist organisation, infiltrating student societies and promoting ideologies that threaten their secular governance model. But what’s particularly telling is how this radicalisation is framed by the UAE as a byproduct of the UK’s “hyper-liberal” values, excessive tolerance for extremist speech from that sector of society under the guise of academic freedom and multiculturalism. This allows extreme groups to exploit freedoms to spread divisive agendas without sufficient pushback, ironic considering 10,000s of British citizens are routinely arrested for social media posts.
This isn’t just about isolated incidents or propaganda from anti specific groups; UK data shows a near-doubling of university students referred to the Prevent counter-terrorism program for Islamist radicalisation in 2023-24, underscoring a permissive ideological liberal environment where such influences thrive unchallenged again due to liberal ideology.
The UAE has been warning us for years
The UAE’s stance isn’t new. It’s the culmination of years of warnings from Emirati figures about the UK’s vulnerability to radical Islamism. Prominent voices have repeatedly tried to help Britain to address groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, warning that unchecked extremism could erode societal stability.
For instance, in a 2023 Sky News interview, Emirati political strategist Amjad Taha described the Brotherhood as “the biggest danger to the United Kingdom,” but we do nothing. He accused it of exploiting immigration, freedoms, and even pro-Palestine protests to push for an Islamic state. Taha, who echoes UAE leadership views, highlighted how radicals rejected in the Middle East find asylum in Britain, using terms like “Islamophobia” to silence critics and censor debate. This clip went viral, with users noting the irony of a Muslim majority nation like the UAE viewing UK campuses as hotbeds of radicalisation.
Even earlier, in a 2017 speech, UAE Prince and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed warned that Europe’s “political correctness” was breeding “far more radical extremists and terrorists” than the Middle East itself. He pointed to a failure to confront ideologies head-on, allowing them to flourish under liberal pretences, multiculture and the diversity is our strength strap line.
These aren’t isolated opinions; the UAE has pressured the UK since at least 2015 to ban the Muslim Brotherhood, following David Cameron’s Conservative government review deemed its ideology contrary to British values, yet stopped short of action. Under Labour’s Keir Starmer, the issue remains under close review, but no ban has materialised, exacerbating UAE frustrations amid broader tensions like the Israel-Gaza conflict fuelling campus unrest and riots on the streets of the UK.
They close down discussion, not the problem
Despite these clear signals, the UK government’s response has often been to stifle discussion rather than confront the issues. Critics of radical Islam or unchecked immigration are frequently labeled “racist” or “Islamophobic,” weaponising these terms to shut down debate.
This plays out through mechanisms like Non-Crime Hate Incidents (NCHIs), where police record and investigate non-criminal hate reports, often based on perceived prejudice with no evidence, that can tarnish reputations and stop free speech. For example, incidents involving criticism of Islam, such as blasphemy-related protests or social media posts questioning Muslim Brotherhood activities, have been logged as NCHIs, even when no crime occurred. Police have probed cases like a Religious Education teacher showing a caricature of Mohammed as part of an open educational discussion and online comments deemed “anti-Muslim,” using NCHIs to monitor and deter what authorities view as potential escalations. Its also worth noting that NCHI’s also appear on advanced DBS checks so one persons perceived offence can ruin someones career and life prospects.
Here comes the law….to silent voices
This suppression extends to policy now the Labour government is finalising a new definition of “anti-Muslim hatred” (deliberately avoiding “Islamophobia” over free speech concerns), which could broaden protections against criticism of Islam or perceived “Muslimness.” The draft focuses on acts targeting Muslims due to religion, ethnicity, or appearance, but critics warn it risks functioning as a de facto blasphemy law, empowering authorities to police legitimate discourse on extremism. As one free speech advocate noted, such definitions act as a “heckler’s veto,” allowing accusations to silence opponents while ignoring sectarian issues or radical ideologies.
We cant ignore terrorist attack data
This reluctance to address root causes is starkly illustrated by the pattern of terrorist attacks in the UK in recent years, where governments have often downplayed or contextualised threats tied to Islamist ideologies, while responding more robustly to others.
Here’s a simple bullet pointed list of major incidents from 7/7, highlighting the underlying ideology for each:
2005 7/7 London bombings: Suicide bombings on public transport killing 52 - Islamist extremism (al-Qaeda inspired).
2007 Glasgow Airport attack: Car ramming and firebombing - Islamist extremism.
2008 Exeter restaurant bombing: Attempted nail bomb by Nicky Reilly - Islamist extremism.
2010 Stabbing of MP Stephen Timms: Knife attack in constituency surgery - Islamist extremism.
2013 Murder of Lee Rigby: Beheading of soldier in Woolwich - Islamist extremism.
2015 Leytonstone tube station attack: Knife slashing - Islamist extremism.
2016 Murder of MP Jo Cox: Shooting and stabbing by Thomas Mair - Far-right extremism (white supremacy).
2017 Westminster attack: Vehicle ramming and stabbing killing 5 - Islamist extremism (ISIS inspired).
2017 Manchester Arena bombing: Suicide bombing at concert killing 22 - Islamist extremism (ISIS inspired).
2017 London Bridge attack: Vehicle ramming and stabbings killing 8 - Islamist extremism (ISIS inspired).
2017 Parsons Green bombing: Improvised explosive on tube - Islamist extremism.
2017 Finsbury Park mosque attack: Vehicle ramming killing 1 - Far-right anti-Islam extremism.
2019 London Bridge stabbing: Knife attack killing 2 - Islamist extremism (ISIS inspired).
2020 Reading park stabbings: Knife attack killing 3 - Islamist extremism.
2021 Murder of MP David Amess: Stabbing in constituency surgery - Islamist extremism (ISIS inspired).
2021 Liverpool Women’s Hospital bombing: Explosive device in taxi - Islamist extremism.
2022 Dover immigration centre attack: Petrol bombs thrown at migrant centre, injuring 2 - Far-right extremism.
2024 Taylor Swift dance class: Three children killed and ten others injured in mass stabbing - Islamist extremism (ISIS inspired).
2025 Manchester synagogue attack: Vehicle ramming and stabbing outside synagogue killing 2 - Islamist extremism.
These attacks, predominantly driven by Islamist ideologies, underscore how successive UK governments have been accused of averting their gaze because it questions their ideology. Prioritising narratives of integration and tolerance over decisive action against radical networks, even as allies like the UAE sound the alarm again and again trying to help us based on their own experience.
MI5 have also been warning us
Compounding this, even Britain’s own security experts have long highlighted the disproportionate focus required on radical Islamist threats. Former MI5 Director General Andrew Parker, in speeches from 2017 and 2018, warned of an “intense, unrelenting and multidimensional international terrorist threat” noting that between December 2013 and May 2018, UK intelligence and law enforcement thwarted 25 plots primarily from extreme Islamic groups. He emphasised that Islamist extremism constituted the “largest threat” by volume, with over 500 ongoing investigations involving more than 3,000 subjects of interest at that time.
More recent updates from MI5, under current Director General Ken McCallum, build on this: Since March 2017, MI5 and police have disrupted 43 late-stage attack plots, with the headline split of counter terrorist work remaining roughly 75% focused on Islamist extremism and 25% on extreme right-wing terrorism. This 75% allocation to Islamist threats in ongoing surveillance and investigations reflects the enduring scale of the risk, yet government policies continue to emphasise broad tolerance over targeted interventions, allowing such ideologies to persist unchecked.
Warnings ignored and British people pay the price in our everyday lives
In response to these threats, successive governments have ramped up physical anti-terrorism measures, such as the installation of barriers on key London bridges like Westminster, London Bridge, and others following the 2017 vehicle ramming attacks, with plans for permanent barriers across the Thames estimated to cost £35 million, though funding issues have delayed full implementation. Similarly, around Parliament, millions have been expended on security upgrades, including a £9.6 million revolving door at the House of Lords’ Peers’ Entrance as well as new high metal railings along the Palace of Westminster’s western boundary, criticised by police as dangerous for obstructing lines of sight and potentially compromising security.
These fortifications and others, driven by the persistent terrorist threats predominantly from Islamist extremism, impose a heavy burden on taxpayers and disrupt everyday life, causing traffic congestion, aesthetic degradation of historic sites, increased delays in movement, and a fortified atmosphere that stifles the free flow of business, tourism, and public activities, effectively acting as a “terrorist tax” on the nation’s productivity and normalcy. Yet there is no attempt to address the cause.
The UAE know, listen to them
The UAE’s funding pullback isn’t just economic, it’s a damning indictment of the UK’s trajectory with no plans by either of the mainstream political parties to make the decisions necessary. By prioritising suppression over genuine solutions, Britain risks alienating allies and entrenching the very problems it’s been warned about. If these trends continue, the hyper-liberal facade may crumble under the weight of unaddressed realities with horrifying consequences.
In my opinion, the only option is to regain sovereignty of our borders, be strong not letting people into this country who do not love our country and Culture like British people do, deport all criminals and all those on a terror watch list.
You don’t get on a terrorist watch list if you are a good Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Indian etc. We need to heed the warnings from the UAE now, ban groups like the Muslim Brotherhood and deport any of those people that we can.