Islamophobia in Higher Education: Muslim Students and the “Duty of Care”

Abstract

Incidents of Islamophobia have increased across the UK, as the Muslim community continues to be drawn within a security discourse, with reports of British Muslims joining terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and Islam portrayed as antithetical to British values in media and political rhetoric. Muslim students are also constantly under suspicion as security agencies work with universities to ‘prevent’ radicalisation of ‘vulnerable’ Muslims, while imposing a ‘statutory’ responsibility on universities to inform on would-be terrorists. Given such a socio-political milieu, this chapter examines the experiences of Islamophobia within universities, and why such incidents continue to be under reported. Drawing on a narrative study and a small scale survey of Muslim female students in ten universities across England, the chapter exposes the limitations of existing welfare provisions. The discussion shows how Muslim students are often unaware, or hesitant in seeking help against Islamophobia, either lacking confidence in the welfare procedure, discouraged by the bureaucratic system, or afraid of standing out by lodging a complaint. The chapter has implications for Muslim student welfare in higher educational institutions, where the security agenda continues to isolate Muslim students as potential suspects, increasingly making them ‘vulnerable’ to Islamophobia.