Anwar Akhtar examining how the Israel-Gaza war is affecting students here in the UK.
Examining how the Israel-Gaza war is affecting students here in the UK. Anwar Akhtar is a director at the Samosa Project, a media and arts charity working to create understanding across cultures. He heads to Leeds, and gets a close-up view of the tensions bubbling over at the university, where the Jewish chaplain’s decision to take leave to serve with the Israel Defence Force during the final months of 2023 has ignited a furious row on campus. Including the decision by the Muslim chaplain at the University to resign her position in protest. She says that Muslim students cannot feel safe in an institution that has allowed this Rabbi to hold a role within the University; meanwhile, Jewish students have complained to the University authorities that they are not being protected following a graffiti attack on a Jewish student house in the city several weeks ago. Anwar immerses himself into the campus, talking to young people from both sides. He talks to a wide range of different communities, including national faith and community organisations, to explore and understand the tensions between pro-Israel and pro-Palestine groups and to see what can be done about these difficulties we face.
Listen now on the BBC Radio 4 website.
