A significant diplomatic rift has emerged between the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom, culminating in Abu Dhabi restricting state scholarships for its citizens to study at British universities. This policy shift, reported by the Financial Times, excludes UK institutions from the list of approved foreign universities while maintaining funding for programs in Israel, France, and the United States.
The core of the dispute centers on the UK’s refusal to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, a long-standing demand from Emirati officials. The tension is reflected in visa statistics, showing a stark 55% decline in UAE students granted UK study visas between September 2022 and September 2025, dropping from 475 to just 213.
Emirati authorities, quoted by the FT, expressed concerns about potential radicalization on British campuses. In response, UK officials reiterated their commitment to academic freedom. The disagreement has escalated through unusual diplomatic channels, including the UAE’s funding of a December trip to Abu Dhabi for Nigel Farage, leader of the right-wing Reform UK party, to discuss shared opposition to the group.
Founded in Cairo in 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood is one of the world’s most prominent political Islamist groups. It maintains a self-proclaimed peaceful and democratic mission, yet it is banned as a major threat by several Middle Eastern autocracies, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the UAE itself. The group’s affiliates have demonstrated significant electoral success in the rare free elections held in the region.
The UK’s stance has been more nuanced. A 2017 parliamentary inquiry, reportedly initiated after lobbying by the UAE, concluded that engaging with political Islamists acts as a ‘firewall’ against violent extremism. The current Labour government states it keeps the issue of proscription under ‘close review.’
This is not the UAE’s first attempt to influence UK policy on this matter. In January 2025, it designated eight British organizations as terror groups due to alleged Brotherhood links, though none have breached UK law. Furthermore, a 2023 revelation showed the UAE paid a Geneva-based intelligence firm to smear the UK’s largest Muslim charity, Islamic Relief Worldwide, by attempting to link it to extremism.
The political pressure within the UK is growing. Reform UK, now leading national opinion polls, has vowed to ban the Brotherhood if elected, with Farage criticizing both Conservative and Labour parties for being ‘gutless’ on the issue. The situation presents a complex clash between international diplomacy, domestic security policy, and academic exchange.