Key Takeaways
- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has restricted state funding for citizens seeking to study at British universities due to tensions over the UK’s refusal to ban the Muslim Brotherhood.
- The UAE has removed British universities from its list of institutions eligible for government scholarships, while continuing to fund studies in countries including Israel, France, and the United States.
- The decision follows a sharp drop in the number of Emirati students studying in Britain, with 213 UAE nationals granted UK student visas in the year ending September 2025, down 55% from the year ending September 2022.
- The Muslim Brotherhood is an Islamist movement founded in Cairo in 1928, which the UAE considers a security threat, but the British government has resisted calls for a ban.
- The UAE has a record of pushing for tougher action against non-violent Islamist groups in Britain, including designating eight UK-based organizations as terrorist groups over alleged links to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Introduction to the Dispute
The United Arab Emirates has taken a significant step in restricting state funding for citizens seeking to study at British universities. This decision comes amid tensions with the United Kingdom over London’s refusal to ban the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist movement founded in Cairo in 1928. The UAE has repeatedly urged Britain to ban the group, which it considers a security threat. In response, British officials have emphasized the importance of academic freedom, highlighting the need for students to engage with a wide range of ideas and perspectives.
The Muslim Brotherhood and its Significance
At the center of the dispute is the Muslim Brotherhood, which says it is a peaceful organization that seeks to participate in politics through democratic means. However, the group is banned in several countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the UAE, and is viewed as a threat by several governments across the Middle East and North Africa. In countries where relatively free elections have been held, parties linked to the Brotherhood have often performed strongly. The British government has resisted calls for a ban, with the Labour government saying the issue of proscribing the group remains under "close review."
Deterioration in Relations
The decision to restrict state funding for Emirati students studying in Britain points to a deterioration in relations between the two countries. The UAE has removed British universities from its list of institutions eligible for government scholarships, while continuing to fund studies in countries including Israel, France, and the United States. This move follows a sharp drop in the number of Emirati students studying in Britain, with 213 UAE nationals granted UK student visas in the year ending September 2025, down 55% from the year ending September 2022. Emirati officials have expressed concerns about the risk of students being radicalized on British university campuses, which has been met with resistance from British officials who emphasize the importance of academic freedom.
UAE’s Efforts to Influence British Policy
The UAE has a record of pushing for tougher action against non-violent Islamist groups in Britain. In January 2025, it designated eight UK-based organizations as terrorist groups over alleged links to the Muslim Brotherhood, though none were found to have violated British law. Reform lawmaker Richard Tice subsequently urged the Labour government to act on the UAE’s designations, despite the fact that political opposition of any kind is banned in the UAE and can result in lengthy prison sentences. In 2023, it emerged that the UAE had paid a private intelligence firm to target Britain’s largest Muslim charity, Islamic Relief Worldwide, by attempting to link its officials to the Muslim Brotherhood and violent extremism.
Nigel Farage’s Involvement
In December, the UAE took the unusual step of funding a visit to Abu Dhabi by Nigel Farage, leader of the right-wing Reform UK party, for meetings with senior Emirati officials over what was described as a shared opposition to the Muslim Brotherhood. Farage has pledged that Reform would ban the Brotherhood if elected, and his party has led several national opinion polls. Speaking at the Reform Party conference in September, Farage accused both major British parties of failing to act, saying "Across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organization. We will do the very same." The UAE’s efforts to influence British policy on the Muslim Brotherhood have been met with resistance from British officials, who emphasize the importance of academic freedom and the need for students to engage with a wide range of ideas and perspectives.
Conclusion
The dispute between the UAE and the UK over the Muslim Brotherhood highlights the complexities of international relations and the challenges of balancing security concerns with the need for academic freedom. The UAE’s decision to restrict state funding for Emirati students studying in Britain is a significant step, and it remains to be seen how the UK will respond to the UAE’s efforts to influence its policy on the Muslim Brotherhood. As the situation continues to evolve, it is clear that the issue of the Muslim Brotherhood will remain a contentious one, with significant implications for international relations and academic freedom.
