[user104658]

Originally Posted by Nedusa

No Segregation by Gender or Race or Religion or age or skin colour.... we have moved on from that **** !!!

We must not allow our accepted norms be changed because some minority group would prefer it that way.

No No No.......this is the slippery slope next thing all our women folk will have to wear headscarves and then veils and then the full Tent.

Have we? Are the masonic lodges present in every town in the UK accepting female members all of a sudden? Hmmm... no, they're not. But no one makes a huge fuss because these organisations are private members clubs, attending one is a choice, and those who disagree with their outdated values simply don't go.

This is absolutely no different. Other than it being about nasty, scary, hairy Muslims instead of old white men. Think about the Masonic order for a minute. Did you get as angry about that as you are about this? No? Now consider why that might be?

Again, this is about guest speakers - not standard University course lectures - and attending these lectures is completely optional. It is not segregation in a public setting. It is clearly not some sort of imminent threat to our culture. It's getting zealots in to speak when they otherwise simply wouldn't come, because hearing them speak is academically interesting, and just blustering "WELL THEY JUST SHOULDN'T COME THEN BLAAARGH" is limiting to a University. You don't have to agree with a speaker to be interested in attending something like this. You can attend to debate against them. And the ability to do that is more important than refusing to allow the event to take place in the first place. Failure to realise this is and blustering in with butthurt placards is, frankly, unacademic and has no real place in any discussion over how a University is run. I will be horrified if these Universities bow to pressure and allow the assembled masses to dictate their policies.