Cambridge defends academic over ‘produce weaponry for Jihad’ article

Cambridge University has defended an academic after a publication she contributed to more than 20 years ago called for Muslims to study engineering and computer technology to help produce weapons for “Jihad”.

Dr Farah Ahmed, now an assistant research professor at Cambridge’s Faculty of Education, contributed to the 2002 publication produced by Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamist group which was banned as a terrorist organisation in Britain in 2024.

The writings were revealed by The Spectator, which reported that Ahmed and senior Hizb ut-Tahrir activist Nazreen Nawaz contributed to a chapter setting out plans for an Islamic education system.

The chapter stated: “The motivation to study engineering would be to aid the development of machinery for Jihad and Allah’s reward for this is immeasurable.”

It continued: “The motivation for studying computer technology would be to elevate the Islamic society over all other societies in the world, to show it as a shining example and to produce advanced weaponry for Jihad in order that the deen (Islam) may dominate over all other deens as commanded by the Creator.”

The same chapter also contained a section on “the training of teachers”, according to The Spectator. Ahmed now works in Cambridge’s Faculty of Education, where her research focuses on education.

Cambridge has now told Jewish News that Ahmed says the comments were not written by her and do not represent her views.

A spokesperson for the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, said: “These comments were made in an article to which Dr Ahmed contributed as a historical researcher more than 20 years ago. She has said that they are not her words and do not reflect her views. Dr Ahmed also reiterated that she ended her association with Hizb ut-Tahrir more than 15 years ago, long before the group was proscribed. Her appointment at Cambridge followed a standard recruitment process and complied fully with the University’s legal obligations as an employer.”

Ahmed previously said in 2010 that she no longer supported “all” the views of Hizb ut-Tahrir and had not recently been involved with the organisation.

The revelations follow separate scrutiny of an education project led by Ahmed which promotes an Islamic curriculum. The Spectator reported last week that teaching material promoted by the project described Israelis taken hostage by Hamas on 7 October as “prisoners of war”, called Hamas an “excuse” used by Israel to justify attacks on Gaza and included a map on which Israel did not appear.

Hizb ut-Tahrir was proscribed by the UK government on 19 January 2024. Announcing the ban, the government described it as an antisemitic organisation which “actively promotes and encourages terrorism” and pointed to its praise for the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023.