Muslim leader from Leeds urges action against evil grooming gangs

Qari Asim, Imam at the Makkah Mosque in Hyde Park, said the problem was bringing “shame on their religion” and urged more people to start speaking out against the abusers.

Mr Asim’s comments came after a total of 17 men and one woman admitted or were convicted of charges including rape, supplying drugs and inciting prostitution in a series of trials at Newcastle Crown Court.

Older men preyed on vulnerable teenagers who were plied with cocaine, cannabis, alcohol or mephedrone, then raped or persuaded to indulge in sexual activity with the lure of the illegal drugs at parties in Newcastle known as “sessions”.

Those prosecuted were from the Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Indian, Iraqi, Iranian and Turkish communities and mainly British-born, with most living in Newcastle’s West End area.

The case follows the exposure of sex rings in a number of other English towns and cities, including Rotherham and Rochdale.

Mr Asim said: “British Muslims and or those of Asian heritage cannot avoid the question that men of their heritage are disproportionately involved in localised, street grooming of vulnerable girls.

“What these sexual offenders have done is bring a shame on their religion, their families, their culture, their country, or even the country of origin of their parents.

“Sometimes elders in the Pakistani community prefer to blame young girls or even evil spirits rather than accept that these young men can be responsible for sexual exploitation.

“We must accept that these crimes happen in our neighbourhoods – committed by men from all communities – and work to protect all of our girls.”

Mr Asim added: “The solution must come from within – our faith and our family traditions provide us with critical tools to eradicate sexual exploitation.

“We all know that their criminal acts are alien to the religion of Islam and against the cultures of the perpetrators so it’s high time we started speaking out against the offenders because they are not acting like ‘our own’.

“My message to my Friday congregation at Makkah Mosque Leeds will be, ‘If you see something not right, like older men with young girls buying drinks and gifts, don’t be afraid to report it’.

“It does not mean that people have to become spies and whistle-blowers, rather good neighbours in order to protect their own families and communities.

“But that responsibility cannot be limited to a community. It’s the duty of every community to do everything they can to prevent abused young people.

“That’s all of us, that makes us united against sexual exploitation.

“We need to send out a loud and clear message that abuse and abusers will not be tolerated within any of our communities.

“The focus on race and religion of the perverse criminals detracts from the real issue.

“We need to bring about behavioural change in our society to protect the vulnerable and challenge misogyny.”

Sarah Champion, Labour MP for Rotherham, today said there was a need to acknowledge the “majority of perpetrators have been British-Pakistani” in recent cases where grooming gangs have targeted girls.

Ms Champion told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We’ve got now hundreds of men, Pakistani men, who have been convicted of this crime – why are we not commissioning research to see what’s going on and how we need to change what’s going on so it never happens again?”