University where 20% of students are Muslim considers alcohol-free zones

Summary

A London university considers initiating an alcohol-free zone because its students find drinking unethical. The main reason for the alcohol-free zone is that 20% of its university students are Muslim.

Professor Malcolm Gillies, vice-chancellor o London Metropolitan Universityf, said the selling of alcohol was an issue of "cultural sensitivity" at his institution where a fifth of students are Muslim. "We therefore need to rethink how we cater for that 21st-century balance. (..)”

According to Alaa Alsmarrai, the vice-president of student affairs for the Federation of Student Islamic societies, alcohol is a barrier to many Muslim students participating in after school activities.

Own opinion

I think the alcohol-free zones are a great initiative. It makes studying at the University more appealing and accessible to students from any background, in this article the Muslims. 

I do hope that if the University applies the alcohol-free zones, it does not affect its student’s college experience. In a way the initiative encourages students to drink less but simultaneously asks them to adapt to a new 21^st-century balance, which could lead to complaints from fraternities about their new boundaries. 

I think the alcohol-free zone is a good initiative and possible if it is organized and introduced correctly. 

URL

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/apr/12/university-alcohol-free-zones-muslim-students

Gang members jailed for shooting of five-year-old girl

Summary

Three gang members of south London gang GAS, Nathaniel Grant, Anthony McCalla and Kazeem Kolawole, have been jailed for a total of 45 years for shooting and paralyzing a five-year old girl.

The three gang members were chasing down one of their enemies down the street when they ran into the five-year-old Thusha Kamaleswaran. The bullet hit the spine of Thusha, paralyzing her just below the chest, which is a permanent condition.

Judge Martin Stephens said the threesome were certain to kill the night Thusha was shot and added that it was “an exceptional case of the utmost gravity.”

Own Opinion

I can’t understand how a human being could do something like this. Shooting a five-year-old girl and paralyzing her disgusts me. Her permanent condition will remind her every day what happened, even after 45 years. I am glad the police caught the three who are responsible for this and that the court judges sentenced them to a total of 45 years in jail.  The article doesn’t say, but I hope the gang members were confronted with what they did to Thusha and that it makes them rethink their  “gang-lives”.

URL 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/apr/19/gang-members-shooting-thusha-kamaleswaran

Welcome!

UKOK!

 Welcome to my UKOK! blog website.

Over the ten upcoming weeks I will be posting the newspaper articles about Britain's culture, with summaries and my own opinion. I will also post what my experiences are during the UKOK! course.

I hope you will find it interesting and tune in every week to see my newest additions to the blog.

 Jesper