Students in the UK are demonstrating against university guidelines allegedly backing gender segregation. Channel 4 News looks at what sparked the debate in the UK's biggest universities.
Campaigners are targeting Universities UK (UUK) offices in Tavistock Square, London, after the organisation published a report last month saying universities could segregate by gender during talks from external speakers.
In the report, UUK claimed that universities faced a complex balance of promoting freedom of speech without breaking equality and discrimination laws.
The report presented some hypothetical case studies which come up on campuses, including whether a speaker from an ultra-orthodox religious group requests an audience is segregated by gender.
'Racism of lower expectations'
Chris Moos, a PhD student at the London School of Economics, who is attending the protest, told Channel 4 News: "What we want to achieve is for Universities UK to immediately rescind their guidelines condoning gender segregation, and issue guidelines that clearly lay out that any kind of segregation, whether under racist, cultural, religious, nationalistic or sexist pretences, is wrong and has no place in the public space."
Erin Marie Saltman, research project officer at Quilliam and PhD researcher at UCL (University College London), told Channel 4 News: "This is a bigger issue of racism of lower expectations, of avoidance.
"There is a fear of offending the Muslim community but there are a lot of modern Muslims that would never allow gender segregation."
Comments
As a case for some segregation, there was a report reently about how 49% of engineering students in I think the UAE (or another arab country) were female, where there was segregation, contrasted with only 19% in a western country which was used for comparison, where there was no segregation.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
This isn't about having a whole university or course segregated it's just about random talks being segregated. I don't understand why they feel the need to stick up for us when we don't see anything wrong with it. Although
^ She sounds like a Muslim? What on earth does "one law for all and fitnah" mean?? why add fitnah to that?
"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi
From their website, it seems that "One Law For All" is an anti muslamic law campaign group.
According to wikipedia, Maryam Namazie ... "is spokesperson for the One Law for All Campaign[5] against Sharia law in Britain. The campaign is opposed to faith-based laws and promotes citizenship rights and one secular law for all. She is also Spokesperson of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain"
"Fitnah" is probably the name of some other anti-muslim group she is involved in.
She left Iran around the time of the Iranian revolution. That says a lot.
It is surprising that none of this is mentioned in the original news article... it is a big part of the story. the major part even.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
She opposed the Pope's state visit too LOL - how can she be taken seriously?
"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi
She was until you pounted out the error of our ways.
On a separate note, in a lot of conquered lands in the 20th century many "intellectuals" were conquered not just physically but also mentally where they saw absolute supriorioty of the conquerors and tried to adopt their ways.
As an example Many arab movements of the 20th century were secular or communist etc. A lot were anti religion because they expected to see success that way.
The 20th century was one of abject failure and as those generations have been replaced, the newer generations are refuting their views.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
i didnt read the full story, but if im not mistaken this was sparked by a talk in UCL that was segregated in a "guys sit at the front, girls sit at the back" sort of way (or what is guy on one side, girls on the other - but you know what i mean) no barrier, no differennt room, nothing like this. then some people (where they came from im not sure, all i know is they were looking for trouble - they were either actually here for the talk but wanted to stir up things or they came in just to stir things up) came and started messing about, things like guys wanting to sit in the "woman" area and girls wanting to sit in the "guys" area.
i believe they complain so loud it went to admin who were like "we had no idea segregation was taking place here, we never allowed it" blah blah blah.
went to ucl recently, there were two doors to a lecture hall and there was going to be an auction carried out. at first the organizers put up papers saying "girls entrance" "guys entrance" but after a while they removed them. im guessing coz of that business. they just hanged out a little outside and help directed people who came.
blowing little things out of proportion to hide bigger problems.
Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?
If the people attending events in which external speakers come in, approve of gender segregation then what is the problem? If they don't think it is an issue, why should someone else make an issue out of it?
Everyone has a right to sit wherever they like. Even if there is a sign that doesn't explicitly say "brothers over here" "sisters over here" I am pretty sure you will find the girls sitting together and the guys sitting together. It's not that it's enforced by the people organising the event.. it's just that they don't want to sit next to people of the opposite sex for religious/personal reasons.
How bored can someone be to make this into an issue? No one cares where they sit as long as they are comfortable. There are bigger and more important stuff to worry about.
It's not just about boredom but its about prejudice. To vilify some ideas and thoughts because they belong to a specific "foreign" community.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
I saw a headline of an Independent Voices article calling it "The Talibanisation of British universities has to stop" and I saw one comment which said "crazy this is in the UK"
"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi
LOL
Ironically Named 'Student Rights' Group Exposed by Actual Students
Good work students, but the damage has been done.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
I don't always agree with her but Laurie Penny has written a good opinion piece on this topic:
This isn't 'feminism'. It's Islamophobia
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
What do you think of people who are against her article because she's a White feminist and also because it's like Muslims who are the ones experiencing this sutff are ignored yet white people are heard. Basically these kinda views http://storify.com/Hijabinist/islamophobia-and-feminism?utm_source=t.co&...
Do you think it's wrong for white people to write about such stuff? I dunno, I think it is wrong that those who actually go through the experience are ignored but if a white person says it, it becomes valid. But then that's why I think it's good for them to use their voice and call out what's wrong.
"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi
One thing in her favour when talking about womens rights is that she is also a woman. (A man talking about female emancipation by forcing them to do as he wantsis a dificult argument to support.)
You can't agree with the views of someone always or before they have been stated. On this occasion I agree with her. On other occasions I probably wont.
In the article she mentions that muslim women are capable of and do tand up for their own rights and do not need a "white man" to tell them what to do.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.