The Hindu : 'Islamophobia' deterring Muslim students

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 27, 2002

International

International

'Islamophobia' deterring Muslim students

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON JUNE 26. The anti-Muslim sentiment fuelled by the September 11 terror attacks in the U.S. has led to a sharp drop in the number of Muslim students enrolling at British universities. Their annual intake from some Islamic countries has fallen by half with many of the students who would have normally come to Britain instead opting for `safer' countries such as Australia, Japan and Canada.

A survey by the British Council shows that the number of Muslim students who chose Britain as the first preference has dropped from 32 per cent to 22 per cent in the past two years with Egypt and Malaysia accounting for the bulk of the decline.

There has also been a substantial decline in the number of Muslim students wanting to study in the U.S., once the most coveted destination for higher education.

The rise of `Islamophobia' is said to be a major factor behind the growing reluctance of Muslim students to want to study in Britain. Other reasons include the anger in Muslim countries over Britain's active involvement in the military action in Afghanistan and its support for U.S. policies in West Asia.

"Our education was seen to be modern enough to be relevant, generally serious, solid and disciplined,'' the survey said but pointed out that student preferences were not determined solely by the merits of British education. "Cost, distance, language, personal security, cultural and political factors — all enter the equation,'' it said.

The findings have raised fears that if the decline of students from affluent Islamic countries is not arrested it could add to the resource crunch facing many British universities.

Foreign students, who have to pay full fee unlike domestic students, are a major source of income for them and experts warned that they would be hit badly if the trend continues.

The British Council survey was part of a government-sponsored research "Connecting Futures'' intended to bridge the "gulf of understanding'' between Britain and Muslim nations.

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