Free speech and the University of Sussex 

• Naimat Zafary is a PhD researcher at the University of Sussex and a former Afghan Chevening Scholar.

There are times, as a scholar from another country, that events in your adopted home catch you off guard. The fears of those around you are so far removed from your own experience that you are baffled by them. Sometimes, this simply demands that you learn more about the society and culture around you or chalk up different perspectives to the rich experience of a global education. 

At other times, though, there is a desire to share with your colleagues your own thoughts about an issue, especially when you think others are at risk of undervaluing the freedoms and advantages they have. This week was one of those times. 

First a bit about me. I came to this country at a moment of deep crisis. An Afghan accepted for a prestigious Chevening Scholarship, I had been excited by the opportunity to study at the top university in the world for international development and to gain knowledge that I could put to use in my home country. 

But even as I packed my cases, the unimaginable happened. The US withdrew its forces and the Taliban entered Kabul. As fearful Cheveners worried whether they would or would not be granted a place on the last flights from the chaotic airport, I gathered my family. I was permitted a small rucksack as I turned my back on my family home and car, my library where local children had studied, and gathered my loved ones for the two-day journey through hell to the airport perimeter fence. When a British soldier finally recognised us and saw my name on the list, he lifted us over the wall and to safety. I kissed his shoulder and wept. 

From there, we sat on the floor of a military cargo ship and flew to an asylum hotel in London, safe at last from the Taliban, who would see us as a threat for our academic links to the UK and deep commitment to education for all, including women and girls. And so, it was I travelled by train for my first class at my academic home and inspiration, University of Sussex. 

What I found in Sussex could not have contrasted more profoundly with what I left behind. Sussex has been ranked 1st in the world for Development Studies for seven consecutive years in the QS World University Rankings. And here was a global community of men and women dedicated to the highest standards of education and using academic rigour and debate to acquire knowledge which would benefit not only the immediate community of Brighton but the wider world. 

My wife Saima and my daughters were also inspired by the women leaders who surrounded me. While former female colleagues and family members in Afghanistan were being barred from education and being driven behind burqas and closed doors, their voices silent, I was at an institution led by a courageous and principled woman committed to supporting diverse perspectives from across the world. I expressed my views in the classroom, at conferences and seminars, and in print without fear of brutal consequences. Sussex has given a platform to voiceless Afghan girls, whereas, in Afghanistan, asking a question about girls’ education is banned; Sussex made sure to value our voices and let us speak with wider audiences.

This was truly free speech. I was gifted the ability to challenge the accepted norms of government and aid agencies, and in turn, my own ideas were challenged daily by my fellow students, my supervisor, my community. I learned and grew to appreciate the diversity of thought and background which typified the world I had entered. 

So how do I respond to the idea that a place that has been to me and many hundreds of Chevening scholars from across the globe has been such a haven for free enquiry and open expression has been fined for a breach of free speech? 

I understand that the issues and debate that led to this circumstance predate the leadership of the institution I have entered. I appreciate that there are deeply held views and profound concerns at play and that the ability to speak without fear of harassment or intimidation is core to educational exchange. 

But I also know that the commonly held stereotype of my institution in some parts of the media is very wide of the mark. Those who have, like me, known the cost of true tyranny understand that places like Sussex are the very antithesis of that and an antidote to it. And so, I offer my voice and support to the university and community that not only welcomed me but encouraged me to challenge and be challenged in the pursuit of truth and global justice. It is a proud tradition and we undervalue it at our cost.