The Whole LSE Thing

It's been busy recently but I couldn't let the recent news that a 'teacher' at UCL is a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir. It sounds more dramatic to say teacher but I think he's actually a PhD student rather than a full member of staff. Still, it does raise some questions about whether or not the University should be bothered? After all, he's not researching weapons technology or dual use items, he's researching politics. Far more important is his involvement with the Islamic Society at UCL which seems to follow the classic HT pattern; Jummah Khutbah (the "sermon" on a Friday) to get their political message out to a wide audience, social events (meals and football etc) to identify potential recruits, "brothers circles" to further indoctrinate and finally they will be having individual meetings with those people who they want to recruit as activists.

What is interesting is that this sort of activity isn't the work of him alone, he will have had support, usually from people on the Islamic Society. Given the somewhat heterodox views of HT it seems to me that the fact he was giving the prayers "every other week" the I-Soc is run by HT. Of course they would deny this and to avoid criticism they will allow two or three non-Hizbis on the committee to provide the illusion of independence.

Of course HT are legal and haven't been caught breaking any laws. That said it would be interesting to ask them about the "covenant of security" both now and during the invasion of Iraq...