An Iraqi national has been barred from taking basic science lessons because the ‘coursework could be turned towards terrorism,’ reports NatureNews. The article has attracted several comments, most of which contain the word ‘absurd’.

The unnamed man, who studied medicine in Iraq, is unable to find work because of a control order limiting his movements. Now it looks like higher education is also a closed avenue, unless he can convince London’s High Court that AS-level human biology and chemistry would not furnish him with dangerous knowledge.

Clearly, the course content could be readily acquired from textbooks or the internet. What’s the great risk to national security in letting someone learn a bit of biochemistry? Just try Googling ’how ricin works’ and you get far more detailed information than any classroom study. It’s like banning someone from learning the fire triangle, lest they build a flamethrower.

A ruling will be made in the Spring.