Cambridge hires researcher with past Hizb ut-Tahrir affiliations

The Faculty of Education at Cambridge University named Farah Ahmed as an assistant research professor, a role that includes overseeing postgraduate research and teaching undergraduates. Ahmed had earlier written a chapter for a Hizb ut-Tahrir pamphlet titled “Education and Identity,” in which she portrayed Western education as dangerous to Muslim beliefs and condemned democracy as corrupt. Hizb ut-Tahrir, an international Sunni organization seeking a caliphate, is proscribed in the United Kingdom.

Ahmed claimed she ceased membership in the group in 2010. Cambridge’s faculty responded by emphasizing its dedication to academic freedom and lawful speech, encouraging debate even with contentious viewpoints. The appointment follows recent controversy surrounding another faculty member, Jason Arday, who resigned amid plagiarism allegations.