Politics and protests banned from university campuses

Egypt’s higher education authorities have banned political activities in universities in a series of measures apparently targeting Islamist students accused of staging violent protests against the military-backed government last year.

The Supreme Council of Universities, a state-appointed body responsible for higher education, has said that academic groups backing political parties and religious communities will be banned on the campuses in the new academic year due to start on 11 October.

Meanwhile, several public universities have warned students and lecturers against holding protests on campus, threatening participants with expulsion.

“Political parties manipulate students inside universities in a way that has harmed universities,” said Gaber Nassar, president of state-run Cairo University.

Nassar, a law professor, also ordered the institution’s students to be barred from appearing on campus in clothes carrying political or religious slogans.

“We do not prevent students from having political affiliations. But anyone who wants to be involved in political activities will have to do this outside the university. We won’t allow this to happen again on the campus.”

Troubled year

Last year, Egyptian universities were rocked by massive protests against the army’s overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, a senior leader of the Muslim Brotherhood. On several occasions, the demonstrations culminated in clashes between the protesters and police resulting in several student deaths and large-scale detentions.

In the run-up to the new semester, universities around the country have enhanced security, including the installation of surveillance cameras and the recruitment of ex-policemen to train administrative guards in charge of on-campus security.

University authorities have also tightened curbs on students allowed to reside in dormitories. Applicants are required to provide police records, a measure apparently designed to deny students with suspected Islamist leanings access to dorms.

Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab recently vowed firmness in enforcing the new measures. “What happened last year will not be allowed to happen again,” he said. “Presidents of universities have all powers to ensure that the educational process will not be disrupted.”

Mixed reactions

The steps have drawn mixed reactions from students.

“Politics plunged universities into chaos last year,” said Hatem Abdul Salam, an art student at Cairo University. “We saw fierce clashes between Morsi’s backers and those of the army last year, turning the campus into a battleground.”

More than 100 university students have already been dismissed for alleged involvement in rioting on the campus last year. Students expelled were mainly from Cairo University and the Islamic Al-Azhar University, which were both hard hit by pro-Morsi protests.

“Practising politics is an inalienable right for all students,” said Ibrahim Gamal, a spokesman for an anti-military grouping at the state-run Helwan University.

“Students’ interest in politics has grown considerably after the January revolution,” he added, referring to the 2011 popular uprising that forced long-time autocrat Hosni Mubarak out of power. "The latest decisions issued by universities’ administrations constitute a return to the Mubarak-era oppression practised by security agencies."

Earlier this week, dozens of pro-Morsi students staged a protest against the new moves in Cairo University, chanting slogans against the government and the university’s administrators.

“These decisions reflect the state’s attempts to control universities in a flagrant violation of students’ rights and freedoms,” said students from the Islamist Strong Egypt Party in a statement. “We have a long academic year during which we will not stop our attempts to wrest back our freedoms on the campus.”