In a statement before Britain’s House of Commons today, Prime Minister Gordon Brown outlined measures designed, he said, “both to root out terrorism and to strengthen the resilience of communities to resist extreme influence.”

Concern has grown in Britain over the extent to which universities might be breeding grounds for extremist activity and recruiting. The prime minister’s speech cited the role of universities several times. The coming Counter Terrorism Bill will include “updated advice for universities on how to deal with extremism on the campus,” Mr. Brown said, adding that “the secretary for skills and the higher-education minister will invite universities to lead a debate on how we maintain academic freedom whilst ensuring that extremists can never stifle debate or impose their views.”

Mr. Brown also said he was “inviting the Higher Education Funding Council to investigate the idea of setting up in Britain a European Center of Excellence for Islamic studies.”

In a statement released in response, Diana Warwick, chief executive of Universities UK, the umbrella organization representing university leaders, welcomed the prime minister’s speech and underscored universities’ support for “his commitment to isolating extremism and fostering understanding between faiths.”

Noting that Universities UK updated its guidelines on dealing with intolerance and extremism on campuses just last year, Ms. Warwick said that “universities are already very active in working with their students, staff, and communities to ensure they are places where the values of respect, tolerance, and freedom of debate are upheld.” —Aisha Labi