The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is removing funding for its citizens to study in the United Kingdom, citing concerns that they could be radicalized abroad.
The move means the UAE has removed British universities from a list of high education institutions that are eligible for state scholarships. It comes amid growing tensions over London’s decision not to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, the Financial Times reported.
“[The UAE] don’t want their kids to be radicalized on campus,” a person directly involved with the decision told the outlet.
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Since then, Emirati students who have applied to their government for scholarships to study in the UK have been denied.
The move also means that the UAE will not recognize qualifications from academic institutions that are not on its accredited list, rendering degrees from UK universities less than others, according to the report.
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“All forms of extremism have absolutely no place in our society, and we will stamp them out wherever they are found,” Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s office said in a statement. “We offer one of the best education systems in the world and maintain stringent measures on student welfare and on-campus safety.”
The UAE has taken a hardline approach to Islamist movements aborad and at home.
During the 2023-24 school year, 70 students at UK universities were reported for possible referral to the government’s Prevent deradicalization program, the report states.
Starmer’s administration last year said the matter was under “close review.”
