Today, we are launching the Muslim Students Survey, the first comprehensive research dedicated to understanding the experiences of Muslim students at Cambridge. The survey will run from March 29th until April 19th.
The results of this survey will shape a series of recommendations to strengthen support and representation for Muslim students across Cambridge. Crucially, it will build on previous research such as CUSU’s 2018 survey on students’ perceptions of Prevent to map out the different ways in which Islamophobia manifests in students’ everyday lives. [2]
The decision to roll out a survey began in November 2020, as a result of discussions the BME Campaign had with students during events and workshops run throughout Islamophobia Awareness Month.
During these conversations, it became clear that so much more needs to be done to support and represent a group which has typically felt excluded from the rest of the student population. Muslim students spoke to us about the lack of adequate provisions to accommodate their needs (whether it be halal meat or prayer spaces) and the damaging effects of Islamophobia on their well-being and sense of belonging.
The launch of this survey coincides with growing nationwide resistance against the normalisation of Islamophobia across all levels of British social and political life. In recent months, dozens of human rights organisations and hundreds of Muslim civil society groups have joined a boycott of the government’s sham review of the racist Prevent legislation, which threatens civil liberties and singles out Muslims for heightened surveillance. [1]
Ultimately, this survey will strengthen our commitment to tackling racism and supporting our membership. In the coming weeks, we will be raising awareness about the Prevent Duty and launching a ‘Preventing Prevent’ toolkit in order to build coordinated opposition to Islamophobia across colleges and demand the University back up its stated concerns about Prevent with concrete actions to oppose the policy. [3]
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/feb/16/human-rights-groups-to-boycott-government-prevent-review, https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/17/hundreds-islamic-groups-boycott-prevent-review-william-shawcross-protest
[2] https://www.cusu.co.uk/2018/06/04/why-it-is-our-duty-to-oppose-prevent-president-s-blog-6/, https://www.varsity.co.uk/news/15769
[3] https://www.varsity.co.uk/news/15188