Universities and colleges will be busy welcoming thousands of young students during Freshers Fairs and orientations across the country as we prepare for the new academic year, hoping to embark on a refreshing and engaging life experience. It is a journey for many who have never been exposed to a plethora of ideologies, theories, histories, debates, cultures, languages, faiths, and political and religious beliefs at any one given time. Universities and colleges have traditionally taken pride in hosting a number of opinions, voices and ideas - be they radical, ludicrous or provocative to some, or inspiring, thought provoking and engaging for others. The freedom to debate, think and critique make up the bedrock of higher education and are integral to the intellectual life of universities. However, that longstanding tradition and basic academic freedom has come under threat and scrutiny from the British government.Prime Minister David Cameron's plea to combat campus extremism is an attempt to make up for lost ground on the counter-extremism and security (CTS) bill that passed in February 2015 with the recognition that universities should be permitted the right to freedom of expression. The revised legislation as of Sept. 21 says that universities and colleges in the U.K. will be legally required to put in specific policies to "stop extremists radicalizing students on campuses" as part of the government's furthered efforts to tackle extremism. Failure to implement such policies could result in a criminal offence. The move by the counter-extremism taskforce will seek to issue banning orders to outlaw extremist organizations and refuse extremist speakers at university campuses. However, the obvious question is what the Extremism Analysis Unit (EAU) deems extremist. According to Cameron and Home Secretary Theresa May, extremism is the "vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs." An example of extremism could be the infamous British TV personality and columnist Katie Hopkins' comments on calling for the death of Palestinians and Islamophobic abuse among other inflammatory offenses. Another could be U.K. Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage's comment that "Muslims hate us and want to kill us," or the calls made by politicians and public figures to abolish the British monarchy. All of which prove to fit the extremism definition laid out by the EAU, yet enjoy the freedom to express such "vocal or active opposition" to "the rule of law, mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs." The inconsistent practice of the counter-extremism bill across society and the specific mention and marginalization of Muslims could result in provocation and a divisive community further alienating British Muslims and strengthening Islamophobic sentiments. Already we have seen a backlash to the U.K. Prevent program in schools, as schoolchildren who express support for Palestine face being referred to a counter-radicalization program, requiring teachers to monitor students for extremism.Elsewhere MI5, the U.K. intelligence agency, is paying Muslim informants for controversial short-term spying missions. David Anderson QC, an independent reviewer of terrorism laws, warned: "If it becomes a function of the state to identify which individuals are engaged in, or exposed to, a broad range of extremist activity, it will become legitimate for the state to scrutinize and the citizen to inform upon the exercise of core democratic freedoms by large numbers of law-abiding people," albeit a growing risk toward a causal sequence of authoritarianism.There is no doubt the majority of Muslims living in Britain today are proud of their citizenship and identify with Britain more than any other minority group. British Muslims, like most Britons, uphold the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect. We must all appreciate and defend the freedom of speech without offence and intolerance toward different faiths and beliefs. If we come to this realization then we may agree or disagree on several matters, however we are able, at places like universities and colleges, to debate, engage in critical thinking and participate in discussions in which controversial, unpopular and extremist ideas are put forward and challenged in the true spirit of academic endeavor. Otherwise, we will continue to see a power struggle between the government and those who support acts of terror who may not agree with the approach used. Instead of the government naming and shaming universities and enforcing legislation limiting the rights of academics and students, there needs to be a more holistic approach where community centers, universities and colleges are entrusted and supported with the responsibility to develop students with confidence, critical awareness, creativity, a space to think, a space to debate and a space to learn. In the words of the late Nelson Mandela: "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."