by NADEEM BADSHAH STUDENTS have revealed the scale of racism in universities and accused institutions of failing to do enough to tackle the issue. Last week, Warwick University expelled three students as it investigates complaints of alleged instances of racial slurs discussed among some students on social media. Figures show that incidents of racism in British universities have increased by 60 per cent in the past two years. Recent incidents included a group of Muslim students in the Midlands attacked by a man who spat and shouted at them, according to The Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS). A student at King’s College in London also had her hijab veil ripped off. Yasmin Ahmed said she and her sister Yusra suffered racism at Hull University in Yorkshire after staying on campus. The law graduate said: “When we first moved to halls of residence we were racially abused. “Verbal abuse then moved to threatening behaviour. For instance, boys threw a fire extinguisher at my door. We moved to new accommodation, but we were still racially abused. “It was our first time away from home. It was our first experience at university. It’s pretty daunting as an 18-year-old.” Yusra, a PhD student from Birmingham, added: “We reported it to the accommodation warden, but we didn’t get a response. We thought it wasn’t being taken seriously so we called the police, then the university took action. We have been moved four times.” Saffa Mir, vice-president of FOSIS, told Eastern Eye: “It is horrifying to see the growth in the number of incidences where Muslim students are subject to abuse on their own campuses. “Generally, the response to this issue has not been strong enough. “The UK government’s counter-terrorism initiative has had a chilling effect on Muslim students. “Muslim student groups have had events cancelled on their campuses due to profiling during vetting processes and in some cases have been referred to authorities because of baseless suspicions.” An analysis of data following a Freedom of Information request by…
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