Oxford Brookes University theological activities on the site, although theology was withdrawn in 2015. In October 2003, Oxford Brookes University became the first university in the world to be awarded Fairtrade status. Baroness Kennedy served as the university's Chancellor from 1993 to 2001. In 2007, Graham Upton retired as Vice-Chancellor and his successor, Janet Beer, was inaugurated in September. In July 2008, Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty, replaced Jon Snow as chancellor of the university. In March 2015 Alistair Fitt was inaugurated as Vice-Chancellor, replacing Janet Beer. Dame Katherine Grainger British Olympic rower also replaced Shami Chakrabarti as Chancellor. Katherine is Britain's most
Abu Anas al-Shami late 1990s, the Jordanian officials shut down an Islamic center that al-Shami had established in Amman on the grounds that it was promoting an extreme interpretation of Islam. In 2003, al-Shami joined al-Tawheed wal-Jihad leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in north-eastern Iraq. He was appointed to the advisory council of the group and soon became Zarqawi's second in command. He was both spiritual advisor to the group and directed many of its attacks and battles against American and Iraqi forces. In a letter he wrote that his 300 "mujaheddin" had fought-off over 2,000 U.S. Marines in the First Battle of Fallujah.