A controversial Canadian academic had his offer of a fellowship rescinded by the University of Cambridge after he was pictured with a man wearing a T-shirt with the slogan “I’m a proud Islamophobe”, the vice chancellor has said.

Stephen Toope has said alt-right figurehead Jordan Peterson’s “casual endorsement” by association was believed to be “antithetical” to the work of the Faculty of Divinity at the university.

The faculty became aware of the photograph early last week and then decided to rescind its offer of a visiting fellowship to Mr Peterson, according to the vice chancellor.

Mr Peterson, who has starkly divided opinion with his views on topics such as masculinity, political correctness and the gender pay gap, had been due to take up the fellowship later this year.

Last week, the 56-year-old author and professor of psychology claimed he had fallen foul of the “diversity, equity and inclusivity mob” after the fellowship was withdrawn.

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The University of Cambridge refused to say at the time why the decision had been taken.

But in a statement on Monday, Mr Toope said: “The faculty became aware of a photograph of Professor Peterson posing with his arm around a man wearing a T-shirt that clearly bore the slogan, ‘I’m a proud Islamophobe’.

“The casual endorsement by association of this message was thought to be antithetical to the work of a faculty that prides itself in the advancement of interfaith understanding.”

He added: “Some difficult decisions will always be necessary to ensure that our universities remain places of robust, often challenging and even uncomfortable dialogue, while balancing academic freedom with respect for members of our community.”

Mr Peterson, a clinical psychologist, started to earn global headlines in 2016 when he spoke out against campus culture wars where he claimed “social justice warrior, left-wing radical political activists” were running rampant.

That year, he posted a series of lectures on YouTube, titling them the “Professor against political correctness”.

He was also a prominent and outspoken opponent of Bill C-16, a bill passed by the Canadian parliament designed to stop discrimination on the grounds of gender identity or expression.

The visiting fellowship was originally offered to Mr Peterson “on an academic basis”, the vice chancellor said.

Mr Toope added: “For a university, anything that detracts from the free expression of ideas is just not acceptable.

“Robust debate can scarcely occur, for example, when some members of the community are made to feel personally attacked, not for their ideas but for their very identity.”