British universities asked to spy on Asian-looking, Muslim students

British universities will be encouraged to spy on Asian-looking and Muslim students suspected of supporting terrorist acts and Islamic extremism, The Guardian newspaper cited a document of the UK education ministry as saying on Monday.

Muslim students from "segregated" backgrounds were more likely to support extremist stances, the 18-page document said.

It also encouraged universities to pro-actively report students to local police forces, yet it acknowledged "concerns about police targeting certain sections of the student populations (e.g. Muslims)."

Additionally, universities were advised to check external speakers invited to give lectures to students of Islamic societies, as they can often be "more radical speakers or preachers."

But students strongly opposed the apparent measures. Gemma Tumelty, the president of the National Union of Students, was quoted as saying that the document was attaching suspicion to Muslims "on the basis of their faith."

Source: Xinhua