I was furious to hear two academics at Nottingham University – one an employee and one an MA student – had been arrested under the Terrorism Act for possessing an al-Qaida training manual, essential to the MA student’s research.
This time last year, gair rhydd reported on initiatives to track library books related to terrorism and requesting lecturers to look out for signs of extremism among students. The situation has only exacerbated.
Rather than giving the men in question a chance to explain, they were detained for six days, and one faced deportation, until a last-minute reprieve.
Current law is leading academics to feel ‘censored’ in the subjects which they choose to research. As a result, understanding terrorism – something which is desperately needed – is forsaken for fear of legal reprisal. Therefore, confusion, stereotyping and fear persist. If we really want to tackle the complex practice of terrorism, figuratively and literally hand-cuffing those trying to unravel it is only hindering the process.
