A department of the U.K. government has annouced that it will be conducting a study of Muslim student attitudes in collaboration with a U.K. based student group with strong ties to the U.K. Muslim Brotherhood. According to the announcement :
The Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), in collaboration with the Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS) and the National Union of Students (NUS), wishes to commission a study exploring the views and attitudes of Muslim students in England. The survey will provide a comprehensive overview of the attitudes and views, as well as experiences and needs, of Muslim students in Higher Education on a range of policy areas of relevance including (but not limited to): o Faith on campus – Identity and integration of Muslim students – Facilities and Services – Extremism – Organisations, the government and media…….The report will inform the work that DIUS, FOSIS and NUS does in working with Muslim students. The results will further inform government, sector agency and institutional policy on these issues as appropriate.
The announcement goes on to say that a final report is expected by June 2009.
A report by U.K. monitoring group describes FOSIS leaders as:
…. influenced heavily by a narrow form of political Islam, inspired by Islamist parties such as Jamaat-e-islami and the Muslim Brotherhood, and the group regularly gives a platform to extremist speakers at British and Irish universities.
and notes that earlier this month, FOSIS sponsored a seminar by Hamas spokesman and U.K. Muslim Brotherhood figure Azzam Tamimi who has been also been promoted by FOSIS on other occasions. An earlier report by the same monitoring grouped outlined the links between FOSIS and the Muslim Brotherhood as well as concluding that ISCC’s (campus Islamic societies) and FOSIS members are more likely to hold intolerant views.