A predominantly Muslim nation in the Middle East has decided to halt the sponsorship of students wishing to pursue education in the United Kingdom, citing concerns about potential radicalization.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has expressed worries that its students might be influenced or radicalized by the Muslim Brotherhood while studying in Britain, according to a report by the London-based news outlet, The Times.

The Muslim Brotherhood is considered a terrorist organization in the UAE, as well as in other Middle Eastern nations like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain.

This classification extends beyond the Middle East, as some Central Asian countries have also labeled the group as a terrorist entity. Although not officially designated as such by the federal government in the United States, both Texas and Florida have independently classified the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group.

During a visit to the Gulf region, U.S. President Donald Trump participated in a business forum at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on May 16, 2025. (REUTERS/Amr Alfiky)

The Emirati Ministry of Education and Ministry of Foreign Affairs offer funding to cover “tuition, living stipends, travel and health insurance for top-performing students who are pursuing degrees in priority fields,” according to the report.

A man mows the grass lawn in the courtyard of Selwyn College, University of Cambridge, England. (Geography Photos/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

It will still offer its robust state-sponsored study abroad program for students who wish to study in other countries.

The country has not completely banned studying in Britain, according to the report, but those who wish to do so will have to pay their own way.

The UAE has battled against the Muslim Brotherhood across the Middle East for years. In 2013, it backed Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who overthrew a Muslim Brotherhood-linked regime, according to Reuters.

Egyptian anti-Muslim Brotherhood protesters shout slogans and hold posters of the late President Gamal Abdel Nasser during a rally to denounce the country’s Islamist President Mohammed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood group in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Aug. 24, 2012. (Amr Nabil/Associated Press)

It has also worked with proxies to undermine the Muslim Brotherhood in Yemen and the African countries of Chad and Sudan.

In 2015, an inquiry by the British government determined that the Islamist group is contrary to British values and that membership in the group could be a sign of extremism. Still, the country did not designate it as a terror group.

Certain Muslim interest groups in the U.K., including the Muslim Association of Britain, the British Muslim Initiative and the Islamic Society of Britain have been suspected of being linked to Muslim Brotherhood ideology.