I was looking for a blog topic so I Googled free speech in Google news, an article came up on BBC news about colleges that are worried about extremist groups on campus. The article says that schools of higher education may be a risk of "serious but not widespread" threat from "Al-Qaeda-influenced terrorism". A consultation paper warns that segregated communities, like extremist groups, can be dangerous to the college community.
"Attitudes and beliefs may be reinforced so that there is little opportunity for dissent, free-thinking or the dilution of commonly held preconceptions about issues within the segregated community or wider communities."
The fear is that extremist groups will form and take hold of students not allowing them to speak up for themselves or disagree. I think this is pretty silly. I understand the fear of Al-Qaeda influenced group son campus, but I don't think it would be right to restrict the formation of campus groups out of fear of terrorism.
"The focus on colleges is part of an assessment of how extremists gather recruits - with the belief that they target young people in "prison, youth clubs, schools, universities and further education colleges".
"The consultation, The Role of Further Education Providers in Promoting Community Cohesion, Fostering Shared Values and Preventing Violent Extremism, suggests that colleges should be promoting free speech, emphasizing shared values, discouraging segregation and stopping bullying and intimidation."
3 comments:
Thanks for that article.. really makes you think about the merits of our class? I'm just a little biased though. :)
you know what's funny? In countries normally not predisposed to extremism, it spreads the most in prisons and ghettos. not colleges. Somebody is trying to McCarthyize the world and attribute people who think for themselves and don't blindly follow their government to terrorists.
stupid politics.
Dang reading this makes you think... the class we have could be seen as a place that deserves attention, matter of fact any class. I think college students are seen as a threat because they actually use their brain and aren't taught to go with the flow because they have to learn the material and analyze it, not just accept it for what it is.
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