Two British universities have given their approval to a pair of Islamic colleges with allegedly close links to fundamentalist scholars and political movements.

The European Institute of Human Sciences and the Markfield Institute of Higher Education are both registered charities and their courses have received university accreditation.

Tim Collins, the shadow education secretary, said he was extremely concerned.

"There needs to be an urgent investigation by the Charity Commission, the Department of Education and the Home Office into the exact nature of these institutions, how they came to be sited in the UK and whether their presence threatens peaceful community relations in this country," he said.