The United Arab Emirates has banned all UK universities from its approved scholarship list, citing fears of Islamic radicalisation on British campuses. The controversial move follows a near doubling of students flagged for the UK’s Prevent programme in 2023-24, raising alarm bells in Abu Dhabi.
UK Blacklisted While US, France & Israel Get Green Light
UAE’s freshly released list of approved universities includes top institutions from the United States, France, Australia, and Israel—but not a single UK university.
Officials confirmed the UK’s exclusion was deliberate, following intense internal deliberations. The ban means the UAE government will no longer fund scholarships for students studying in Britain, and critically, degrees from UK institutions earned after this decision won’t be recognised by the UAE Ministry of Education.
“They do not want their children to be radicalised on campus,” said an insider involved in UAE-UK talks.
Radicalisation Worries Backed By Rising UK Prevent Referrals
- 70 students were flagged for possible Prevent intervention in 2023-24—nearly double the previous year’s number.
- Emirati-issued UK study visas dropped 27% year-on-year as concerns grew.
- UAE officials warned of the Muslim Brotherhood’s ideological penetration on UK campuses.
The UAE has long taken a hard stance against Islamist groups under President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, contrasting sharply with the UK’s more tolerant approach. Despite a 2015 UK government review branding the Muslim Brotherhood’s ideology “at odds with British values,” the group remains legal and active within British higher education.
Diplomatic Slam and Stark Economic Fallout for UK Universities
The UAE’s blacklist represents a major diplomatic rebuff to Britain’s once-celebrated education sector. With Emirati students expected to shun UK campuses, universities face a sharp drop in Middle Eastern enrolments.
Private funding from wealthy Emirati families might persist, but without UAE recognition, UK degrees will lose value in the lucrative Gulf job market.
This brutal policy shift comes amid broader regional tensions, with the UAE welcoming Israeli universities on its approved list—a stark contrast given ongoing political sensitivities.
“The UK’s refusal to ban the Muslim Brotherhood is politically indefensible to Middle Eastern allies,” said a source familiar with the fallout.
Historic cases like Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab—the Christmas Day bomber once president of UCL’s Islamic Society—are cited by Abu Dhabi as proof of the radicalisation risk.
For the UK government, questions loom over how to restore trust with one of the Gulf’s key partners before this ban irreversibly damages British higher education’s global reputation.
