Sosyal Medya

Politics

United Kingdom: Grooming Gangs and the Demonization of Muslims

Ridwan Olamilekan Mustapha

For a while now, the UK has faced significant issues affecting the Muslim community, as well as tensions within right-left politics and concerns related to grooming gangs. Elon Musk’s involvement through his posts on X, which target specific individuals, communities, or races, has raised alarms among some members of the Muslim community, including Humza Yousaf, former first minister of Scotland.

They argue that Musk is using his vast platform to incite hatred and violence in the UK while attempting to undermine democracy and challenge the legitimacy of the democratically elected Prime Minister. Given these circumstances, this article aims to explore these issues and provide insights into the legal obligations surrounding rape cases in Islam.

Grooming Gangs

The term “grooming” became widely recognised in the UK after a 2011 exposé by The Times, which reported on a perceived new racial crime trend known as “on-street grooming,” primarily involving Asian men. This reporting, along with subsequent media coverage, frequently highlighted the ethnicity of the offenders, particularly those of Pakistani descent, framing the issue as a “Muslim” problem. Thus, Grooming gangs refer to groups of men over the age of 18 who are accused of collaborating to manipulate young women or minors into sexual relationships. According to the law, this behaviour constitutes sexual assault and is considered a crime. The issue has taken a troubling turn, with individuals like Elon Musk politicising the situation and spreading anti-Muslim sentiments.

The media has also contributed to this issue by propagating the notion of "Muslim grooming gangs,” perpetuating the harmful myth that the organised child sexual exploitation that occurred in numerous cities across the UK in the early 2000s is inherently linked to a religion that is peacefully followed by over a billion people around the world. Elon Musk has led this recent wave of virulent Islamophobia, disseminating disinformation on his X account that frames grooming gangs as a Muslim issue and a consequence of failed multiculturalism. He has publicly accused Labour politicians like Keir Starmer and Jess Phillips of being “rape genocide apologists” and “complicit” in the alleged “rape” of Britain.

We would recall that Elon Musk, last summer, played a significant role in peddling anti-migrant and Islamophobic narratives, which included false reports claiming that those who attacked the Southport were Muslims. This fuelled widespread violence, which affected hotels housing refugees and mosques being attacked. Thus, this has made it clear that there is a form of dehumanising Muslims instead of seeking justice for the victims of grooming.

Misconceptions about Grooming Gangs

There has been a widespread misconception about grooming gangs. Some individuals, like the former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, claimed that the perpetrators were predominantly British-Pakistani men. They suggested this was due to these British individuals of Pakistani origin nurturing "alien cultures" with "medieval attitudes towards women." However, Jamie Grierson, Home Affairs correspondent, counters this notion in a report stating that the majority of child sexual abuse gangs are composed of white men under the age of 30, as indicated by an official paper.

Nazir Afzal, the former chief crown prosecutor in the northwest, who was involved in prosecuting the Rochdale grooming gangs, welcomed the revelation that white men remain the most common offenders—something rarely mentioned by right-wing commentators. He did note, however, that South Asian and British-Pakistani men are disproportionately represented in high-profile cases.

In other words, a contentious aspect is the focus on ethnicity. While media coverage often highlights South Asian men in high-profile cases, data from the Ministry of Justiceand the Office of the National Statisticsreveals a more complex reality: in 2022, 88% of defendants for child sexual abuse in England and Wales were white, compared to 7% South Asian. This challenges the narrative that grooming gangs predominantly involve South Asian men and signifies the need for a more deeply rooted understanding of the issue.

The Quilliam Foundation’s 2017 report claimed that 84% of grooming gang offenders were of South Asian heritage. However, this report was widely criticised for its unscientific methodology and potential bias. Academics Ella Cockbain and Waqas Tufail argued that the Quilliam report fuelled misinformation and racism, diverting attention from the broader issue of child sexual exploitation. The focus on ethnicity has not only distorted public understanding but also diverted attention from the systemic failures that allow Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) to thrive.

While it is essential to acknowledge that individuals from various ethnic backgrounds can be involved in such crimes, it is misleading to focus exclusively on a specific ethnic group and stereotype them as a whole. The danger in concentrating solely on the ethnicity of offenders is that we may overlook the more significant issue: the voiceless, forgotten women and girls who are often the actual victims. The government’s attention and actions should primarily be directed at addressing their needs.

Islamic Insights on Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE); Rape.

In Islam, sexual activity is considered sacred, and it is one of the primary reasons for getting married. Islamic law teaches that one of the signs of Allah is that He created spouses from among ourselves, so we may find tranquility in them. This tranquility is understood to relate to the lawful sexual intercourse that occurs between spouses, as guided by Islamic ethics.

In the light of these, all forms of sexual exploitations are considered an unlawful act that carries severe penalties in Islam and is regarded as a grave sin. No Muslim would support such exploitation, particularly amidst discussions in the UK about grooming gangs that exploit and abuse children. We should remember that in 2013, when some Muslim men were convicted for related crimes, there was a coordinated effort to deliver the same sermon across the UK. More than 500 imams in UK mosques came together to condemn the sinister acts of these gangs.

Under Islamic law, rape may be punishable by the penalties of zina or terror or/and ta'zir (discretionary punishment). This means that a rapist could face punishments ranging from 100 lashes, dismemberment of hands and legs, to stoning to death, depending on the circumstances

Moreover, most jurists argue that financial compensation, such as a dowry, should also be paid to the victim. Additionally, other related injuries and fatalities resulting from the crime must be compensated appropriately. The trauma, homicide, and other consequences of rape can be evaluated in terms of crimes, particularly physical attacks that cause bodily harm.

Conclusion

The arguments presented indicate that the racialization of grooming is closely linked to Islamophobia and anti-Muslim racism. The demonization of Muslim men has become a prominent issue in public discourse, with Muslims emphasizing that criminal behavior is not restricted to any specific ethnic group. They advocate for the government to focus on addressing the systemic failures that allow child sexual exploitation to persist. 

5 Yorum

  1. Hybee

    February 13, 2025 Thu 20:45

    This is an absolute submission.Thank you.

  2. Kolawole

    January 20, 2025 Mon 18:09

    Thank you for this submission. UK Government is playing politics with the lives of the victims. Instead of tackling the issue at hand, they are busy stereotyping, racializing and demonizing the Muslims and innocent Asian men.

  3. Meemee

    January 14, 2025 Tue 17:24

    The experience during the last summer in UK was very pathetic when my sibling narrated to us. As for the Grooming gang, just like the article stipulates, no right thinking Muslims would support it even if our own brothers and sisters are involved, justice has to prevailing. So, UK government should stop playing politics with the situations of the victims by trying to racialise the situation and Demonizing the Muslims. Good, data and statistics has shown that White men are larger in percentage in this regard. But we Muslims believe in correcting the systemic failures instead of playing politics with issue. Thank you for the post, it's an eye opener.

  4. Ahmad

    January 14, 2025 Tue 04:59

    Maa Shaa Allah. What a write up.

  5. Tawakalitu

    January 13, 2025 Mon 19:53

    This is an insightful article. Also, thank you for the audio part. It's a nice development.

* * Required fields are marked