Universities monitoring student internet

James Bass exposes how universities are putting surveillance on our internet activity

ITS 1984, or so the government wishes. Their new ‘Orwellian’ initiative to uncover extremism in Universities by monitoring students’ internet activity is just another screw in the coffin containing our freedom of thought. It seems to me that they have found a perfect excuse to intrude even further into our already invigilated lives, using the threat of terrorism as the scapegoat. Yes we all know that university provides an environment which has the potential to breed extremism, but why should we all have to suffer for the acts of a few? It’s simply outrageous.

University lecture room 1

In a country which has been tarred with the surveillance brush, (now deemed the ‘surveillance society’), it is becoming ever more difficult to lead your life without Big Brother peering over your shoulder. Let’s just say for example, I need to find out how a bomb is made for a Physics project – does this automatically make me a terrorist, or am I just exercising the natural human right of inquisition? Am I wrong in thinking that at Universities around the country in the last few years, individuals have been arrested under suspicion of extremism? Moreover they were discovered without having to monitor ALL students. That strategy seemed to work, why the sudden need for change?

The worst part is that you can understand the government’s simplistic, yet subtly intrusive, strategy: more monitoring, less terrorism. That’s the long and short of it. But when does this quest for the preservation of human kind stop? How far are they willing to delve into people’s privacy for the cause of the ‘greater good’? I can already see this surveillance situation getting out of hand, and no doubt the government will pull out the extremism card when challenged on it. Soon I won’t be able to leave my house without a government official escorting me to do my mid week shop at Tesco. The sad fact of today’s society is that the truth has become a rare commodity. Banking systems collapsed due to devious, greed mongering bankers and it seems that the true ulterior motive behind the new government initiative is cloaked by the hot topic of the modern day: terrorism. And I for one don’t see that changing anytime soon.

Arabic aerosol

Rebecca Harvey reveals Birmingham’s urban Islamic calligraphist

TO many people the word ‘graffiti’ conjures up images of urban decay and crime. It is viewed by some as a selfish, antisocial form of expression that just simply serves to further inflate the ego of the artist. As I like to think that I’m of a more open-minded disposition, I’m glad to say this kind of superficial viewpoint has been challenged by the inspirational work of local graffiti artist, Mohammed Ali, both inside and out of the studio. 

The 28-year-old Brummie is well renowned for his unique fusion of Islamic calligraphy with urban art and has recently been the proud recipient of a prestigious ITV South Bank award that celebrates outstanding achievement in promoting diverse groups and cultures. Far from vandalizing public property, Mohammed uses aerosols to infuse the ‘divine script of God’ into his graffiti style artwork. 

Ali (left) is a local graffiti artist

Merging religion with such a controversial art form might seem like an intentionally provocative decision and one that was strategically designed to grab attention that would otherwise have been directed to better quality art. But trust me, this is quality art and the combination is very successful at communicating powerful messages about current issues to a young audience. 

 

Mohammed is known for painting murals that highlight the plight of Palestinian people and so it is not surprising that he has recently painted murals in Small Heath addressing the recent Gaza crisis. Mohammed is a pioneer of socially conscious art and the murals that he has painted around the world have been described as building bridges between communities in difficult areas where faith and race are burning issues. 

As if that wasn’t enough, he also runs workshops for children up and down the country, working with them to produce their own pieces of art. I find it fascinating how art created from an antisocial symbol like the spray can, can have such a positive reception from the general public. 

It makes me wonder whether the whole of society is changing its views about a previously condemned form of expression.  For example in the Cotswold town of Cirencester the council have given permission for graffiti artists to paint a previously vandalized underpass that links a local school and college. Mohammed Ali’s work provides a brilliant example of how modern art can spark discussion of relevant political issues in a young audience that many other mediums find so hard to successfully engage.