Grooming gangs of Muslim men failed to integrate into British society
The failure of certain parts of the Asian community to integrate into British society has led to gangs of British Pakistani Muslim men targeting white women with drink and drugs before raping and sexually abusing them, an anti-extremism think tank claims.
The report by Quilliam calls for greater support to help integrate British Pakistani people into modern British society.
It says that the gangs of mainly British-Pakistani men "have been influenced by the cultural conditions of their home country and a wider failure of British society to integrate these men into their adoptive culture".
Researchers, who analysed 264 convictions of grooming gang members since 2005, had initially expected to find Asians had been unfairly singled out.
However, they discovered that 222 of those convicted, or 84 per cent, were men of Asian origin. Only 22 were black and 18 were white with two offenders not having an identified ethnicity. The findings are in stark contrast to the fact Asians make up only seven per cent of the UK population, the report said.
Muna Adil, one of two authors, said: “We began thinking we would debunk the media narrative that Asians are over-represented in this specific crime. But, when the final numbers came in we were alarmed and dismayed. For both of us being of Pakistani heritage, this issue is deeply personal and deeply disturbing.”
The report, called ‘Group Based Child Sexual Exploitation: Dissecting Grooming Gangs’, notes how many of the gangs had operated in North of England towns and cities.
“When David Cameron spoke of the failings of multiculturalism in 2011 he was attacked from all sides,” Ms Adil continued. “What these critics failed to see was the numerous self-segregated northern towns, the plethora of organisations that preached problematic attitudes towards women and other faiths, and the hundreds of young men and women being radicalised right here on British soil.”
There are elements from within the British Pakistani community that still subscribe to outdated and sexist views of women.
Muna Adil
They found that while girls from the Asian community were seen as “protected” because chastity was linked to “family honour”, young white women were deemed “easy targets” and “open to sexual relationships with a little persuasion”.
They also identified how the men in the gangs had shared a common view of their sexual abuse, having collectively justified their behaviour.
Ms Adil added: “There are elements from within the British Pakistani community that still subscribe to outdated and sexist views of women embedded within their jaded interpretations of Islam. These backward views are passed down from generation to generation until the lines between faith and culture dissolve, making it increasingly difficult to criticise one without being seen as a critic of the other.”
The report also urges politicians and the police to dismiss political correctness and fears of being branded racist to ensure they can tackle the problem of grooming gangs head on.
It says: “The notion that certain cultures are out of bounds when it comes to criticism is not just misguided and misinformed, but often allows the most vulnerable individuals from society to continue to be victimised and abused.”
Since 2011, groups of men have been prosecuted for organised sexgrooming crimes against hundreds of girls in Rochdale, Rotherham, Oxford, Telford, Leeds, Birmingham, Norwich, Burnley, High Wycombe, Leicester, Dewsbury, Middlesbrough, Peterborough, Bristol, Halifax and Newcastle.
In only two of those cases were the men not of South Asian heritage. Of all the victims, only three were not white teenage girls.
