The head of the London School of Economics has apologised to two students who were forced to cover up T-shirts depicting the Prophet Mohammed and Jesus at a freshers’ fair.
Chris Moos and Abhishek Phadnis were threatened with being thrown out of the fair for wearing T-shirts with pictures from the satirical comic strip Jesus and Mo. They were manning the Atheist, Secularist and Humanist Society stall, and were told by student union officers that displaying the T-shirts, which featured a depiction of Mohammed prohibited under Islamic law, may constitute harassment of a religious group.
But Professor Craig Calhoun, director of LSE, said that with hindsight the fact the students wore the T-shirts did not amount to harasment or contravene the law or LSE policies.
In his letter to the students Professor Calhoun said: “Members of staff acted in good faith and sought to manage the competing interests of complainant students and yourselves in a way that they considered to be in the best interests of all parties on the days in question.”
The apology comes amid concerns that universities are pandering to the sensibilities of Islamic extremists on campus.
Last week Universities UK withdrew its advice that said male and female students could be segregated if requested by visiting speakers.
