Grooming gangs and growing concerns of Pakistani diaspora in UK

(Web Desk): The Pakistani diaspora in the United Kingdom (UK), although forming only 2% of the population, against 85% of whites who are actually involved in crimes relating to grooming gangs.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg are the unfair prime movers of this campaign. This creates a false narrative that promotes Islamophobia and racial bias.  The issue is often framed in ways that ignore facts, instead fueling anti-Pakistani sentiment that benefits far-right groups and serves foreign interests.

This is revealed in an article published by The Guardian which discusses the growing influence of right-wing authoritarianism on global media and technology platforms, with a focus on the actions of Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, and Donald Trump. From the article, the double standards of quite evident from the latest moves

Such narratives exploit weaknesses within diaspora communities and may align with broader geopolitical strategies to undermine their unity and reputation. Mark Zuckerberg’s shift with Meta shows how powerful platforms can dismantle accountability measures like fact-checking, prioritizing political power and spreading disinformation.

Elon Musk’s actions with X demonstrate how platforms can be turned into tools to attack critics, amplify misinformation, and destabilize democratic systems. The Pakistani state recognizes that a small segment within the diaspora may act against Pakistan’s interests but emphasizes that the community remains a vital part of the nation.

Pakistan urges its diaspora to focus on unity and avoid falling into political agendas designed to weaken their collective identity and reputation.
Disproportionate attention on Muslim communities, particularly Pakistanis, in issues like grooming gangs perpetuates harmful stereotypes while ignoring evidence showing most cases involve other groups.

The US shelters controversial Pakistani vloggers like Moeed Pirzada, Shahzad Akbar, and Shahbaz Gill etc and a few others, who openly criticize Pakistan, exposing the double standards of such American actors.

Pakistan reaffirms its support for the diaspora, emphasizing that unity and collective strength are essential tools to fight divisive narratives and targeted campaigns.

Issue sparks debate

The issue of grooming gangs and child sexual exploitation (CSE) in the United Kingdom (UK) has sparked intense public and political debate, clouded by racial and cultural stereotypes. Pakistani heritage through radicalised narratives has been disproportionately highlighted.

The term "grooming gangs" gained prominence after the 2011 Times exposé, which radicalized the issue by framing it as a crime predominantly linked to South Asian men. Media headlines and political rhetoric amplified the perception of a unique cultural or religious predisposition among Muslim men for such crimes, sidelining broader systemic and societal issues.

The report misrepresents the facts by ignoring key statistics. According to the Ministry of Justice, 83% of child sexual abuse offenders were white, while the remaining 17 % (includes, Other white colours 4 %, South Asians represented 7%, and others 6 %).

Repercussions of racalised narratives

• Impact on Muslim Communities. Rising discrimination
• Neglect of Broader Issues. Diverts from poverty and institutional
• Harm to society fosters division and mistrust.
• Systemic failure Punch Lines
• Official statistics from the UK Ministry of Justice (2022) clearly state that 83% of grooming gang offenders are white, while only 7% are Asian, and merely 2% are of Pakistani ethnicity. This shows that the majority of such crimes are not linked to Pakistanis.
• Internationally, UNICEF reports that child sexual exploitation is a global issue with offenders often motivated by a range of socio-economic factors rather than ethnicity. The issue, therefore, cannot be attributed to a single group, as seen in countries worldwide.
• New data from the National Police Chiefs' Council reveals that 85% of "group- based" child abusers in 2024 were white, countering recent online campaigns, focused on grooming gangs involving Pakistani men.
• According to the Independent newspaper, the data revealed by the police chief is incomplete, as the police have information on only 39% of suspects in the first nine months of 2024.
• No statistics are available about the exact number of victims or people involved in the crimes, rather percentages have been reflected in SM, this raises serious questions about the authenticity of the data.
• Elon Musk accused PM UK, Sir Keir Starmer of being "complicit in the rape of Britain" during his tenure as director of public prosecutions (DPP) between 2008 and 2013, for failing to tackle grooming gangs, indicates old score
• Elon Musk has involved himself in British politics, using his social media platform X to attack and spread misinformation about PM Keir Starmer and other members of the Labour government.
• Musk has increasingly used his platform to influence political discourse, endorsing far-right wing ideologies and interfering in national politics, particularly in the UK.
• Only Elon Musk, Right wing ideologist and Indian media are making the issue loudly for the reasons well known. However, PM Keir Starmer himself is negating the issue and calling it politically crafted.
• His attacks on Starmer, who, as Chief Prosecutor, oversaw high-profile prosecutions of grooming gangs, have been widely criticized for spreading misinformation. British government has also turned down to constitute a National Enquiry on the scandal.
• The issue of labeling perpetrators in the "grooming gangs" scandal as predominantly of Pakistani heritage (largest diaspora in the UK among Muslim countries) has contributed to rising concerns about Islamophobia and racial
• The resurgence of the UK's grooming gangs’ scandal, accompanied by heightened political and public rhetoric, has significant implications for
• The racial dimension of these cases has been widely debated, with critics arguing that such labeling unfairly associates entire ethnic or religious communities with criminal behavior, fostering negativity and prejudice.
• The focus on "Pakistani grooming gangs" often serves as a political tool to deflect attention from systemic failures of law enforcement and child protection agencies.
• By using terms like "Pakistani grooming gangs" instead of focusing on the criminality of the individuals involved, public figures like Elon Musk and political leaders are dangerously shifting the narrative toward racial and religious profiling.
• Most victims are young girls under 10, highlighting their vulnerability to exploitation, often by domestic The Pakistani diaspora rarely works in

 

Domestic roles with most such workers coming from other South Asian countries

• Highlighting isolated cases involving British Pakistanis while downplaying the dominant majority of offenders from other backgrounds reflects bias.
• Labeling grooming gangs as "Asian" also unfairly implicates an entire continent, as highlighted by multiple Asian communities in the UK, including Indians and Sikhs, perpetuating a racist stereotype that targets individuals based on their ethnicity rather than their actions.
• This misuse indicates a lack of specificity and a tendency to generalize for political expediency, reinforcing racist assumptions about certain ethnic groups and ignoring the diversity within these communities.
• According to the 2022 report of the Independent Inquiry, sexual abuse in the UK spans all communities, socio-economic backgrounds, races, and faiths.
• The investigation into the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales uncovered decades of child sexual abuse by clergy and religious members, with over 3,000 complaints filed against 900 individuals between 1970 and 2015, leading to 133 convictions. Hence, only the Pakistani diaspora cannot be associated with such crimes. (Jemima Tweet)
• The majority of British Pakistanis are law-abiding citizens. A few criminal cases involving British Pakistanis should not overshadow the significant contributions of the broader community in various fields, such as healthcare, education, and business in the UK.
• The repeated targeting of Pakistanis as a group suggests the involvement of hostile lobbies aiming to defame Pakistan internationally, as part of broader geopolitical and ideological agendas.
• Reports, including those from Greater Manchester, show that law enforcement and child protection authorities failed to act for years due to fears of being labeled racist. Addressing these systemic failures should be the priority, not ethnic profiling.
• It is an established fact that allegations against Pakistanis are not only factually weak and baseless but are often politically motivated.

Only a few criminal cases involving British Pakistanis should not overshadow the significant contributions of the broader community in various fields, such as healthcare, education, and business in the UK.