'Insane Headline’: JD Vance Reacts To UAE Ending UK Scholarships Over Radicalisation Fears

Last Updated:January 12, 2026, 19:34 IST

Abu Dhabi’s decision to curb UK-bound scholarships over Islamist radicalisation fears has drawn an unusually blunt reaction from US Vice President JD Vance.

US Vice President JD Vance called reports of the UAE curbing UK-bound scholarships over Islamist radicalisation fears an “insane headline”. (IMAGE: REUTERS FILE)

US Vice President JD Vance has reacted to reports that the United Arab Emirates has curtailed state funding for Emirati students seeking to study at British universities, calling it an “absolutely insane headline".

Vance was responding on Friday to reports circulating online that the UAE had moved to cut scholarships over concerns that students could be exposed to Islamist radicalisation on UK campuses.

Writing on X, he said some of Washington’s closest Muslim allies in the Gulf believe Islamist indoctrination in parts of the West has become too dangerous.

CNN-News18 has learnt that the UAE has quietly removed British universities from its approved list of foreign institutions eligible for government scholarships, a decision driven by growing concern in Abu Dhabi over the ideological environment on UK campuses.

Officials familiar with the matter said the move is aimed at preventing future diplomats, security officials and elite students from exposure to what the UAE views as Islamist narratives during their formative years.

According to sources, Emirati policymakers have flagged what they describe as a “mindset shift" among some students returning from the UK, pointing to campus activism and student groups as potential conduits for Islamist ideology. While British universities defend such spaces as part of academic freedom and free expression, Abu Dhabi considers movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood a direct threat to state stability.

According to the Financial Times, the UAE’s Ministry of Higher Education published a revised list of overseas universities eligible for state scholarships in June 2025.

While institutions in countries such as the United States, Australia, France and Israel were included, British universities were left off the list.

UK officials were told the exclusion was deliberate. Three people familiar with the matter told the newspaper that the decision was driven by UAE concerns about what it sees as the risk of Islamist radicalisation on British campuses.

One person quoted said Emirati authorities did not want students “to be radicalised on campus".

Officials cited by The Times UK said the policy does not amount to a blanket ban on studying in Britain. Emirati students can still enrol in UK universities if their families pay privately, and those already studying there will continue to receive government support. However, new students face sharply reduced or no state funding.

CNN-News18 has learnt that the UAE has quietly removed British universities from its approved list of foreign institutions eligible for government scholarships, a decision driven by growing concern in Abu Dhabi over the ideological environment on UK campuses.

Officials familiar with the matter said the move is aimed at preventing future diplomats, security officials and elite students from exposure to what the UAE views as Islamist narratives during their formative years.

According to sources, Emirati policymakers have flagged what they describe as a “mindset shift" among some students returning from the UK, pointing to campus activism and student groups as potential conduits for Islamist ideology. While British universities defend such spaces as part of academic freedom and free expression, Abu Dhabi considers movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood a direct threat to state stability.

Who Are the Muslim Brotherhood?

The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928, is a transnational Sunni Islamist organisation that seeks to influence society and politics through religious principles. It is banned by several West Asian governments, including the UAE, which has designated it a terrorist organisation. Britain has not proscribed the group, following a 2015 review that found no evidence linking it to terrorist activity in or against the UK, a position London says remains under review.

News world 'Insane Headline’: JD Vance Reacts To UAE Ending UK Scholarships Over Radicalisation Fears

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