LONDON: Religious scholar Pir Muhammad Hassan Haseeb-ur-Rehman has condemned grooming gangs by the likes of Rochdale rapist Shabir Ahmed, saying those involved in such crimes have no connection with Islam and must face the strongest punishment available under the law.
Speaking during an extensive UK tour, where he addressed nearly 50 packed gatherings, the prominent cleric said Muslims must be among the first to condemn and report anyone involved in grooming, sexual exploitation, drugs, criminality or extremism, irrespective of the offender’s religion, ethnicity or family background.
Pir Hassan Haseeb-ur-Rehman is associated with Eidgah Sharif in Rawalpindi, one of Pakistan’s prominent Sufi religious centres, and is widely known for addressing religious and spiritual gatherings in Pakistan and overseas. The centre has tens of thousands of followers in the UK.
In an interview, Pir Hassan said he had repeatedly addressed the grooming-gangs issue during around 43 religious gatherings held over approximately six weeks across London, the Midlands, Yorkshire and Scotland.
He said he found the British Muslim community highly concerned over the coverage of the grooming gang convicts and its implications for the wider community. Pir Hassan Haseeb said the community requested him to highlight the evil of the people involved in crimes against young children.
He said the overwhelming majority of those attending many of the gatherings were young British Muslims, making it essential for religious scholars to address not only traditional religious subjects but also the responsibilities Muslims carry as citizens of the countries in which they live.
“First and foremost, Muslims need to condemn grooming gangs. We strongly condemn them. They have absolutely no connection with the teachings of Islam,” Pir Hassan said, adding that anyone involved in sexually exploiting children must be opposed and punished, regardless of whether they happen to be Muslim, Pakistani or from any other background.
“If people from within our own community are involved in wrongdoing, they must be opposed. Remaining silent in the face of wrongdoing is, in effect, becoming complicit in it,” he said.
Pir Hassan said grooming and sexual abuse were “against Islam, against humanity and against the law”, stressing that Islamic teachings provided absolutely no justification for the exploitation or abuse of children.
He said perpetrators should receive the punishment they deserve and argued that a clear message must be sent that neither religious identity nor community links could be used to protect criminals. “Those who are involved, whoever they may be, should certainly receive the punishment they deserve,” he said.
The remarks come as Britain continues an extensive national debate over group-based child sexual exploitation. The UK government has established a statutory Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs to examine institutional failures surrounding such abuse, including questions involving ethnicity, religion and culture.
Pir Hassan rejected attempts to portray grooming-gang offenders as representatives of Islam, Muslims or Pakistanis.
He said Muslims involved in such crimes damaged the image of their faith and community but remained criminals acting against Islamic teachings rather than representatives of the wider Muslim population.
“Grooming gangs, drug dealers, criminals and extremists who happen to be Muslim have brought disrepute upon Muslims and our community,” he said, while stressing that such criminal behaviour was not exclusive to any one religious or ethnic group.
He urged Muslims to take an active role in confronting criminality within their own communities.
“If they see a friend or relative involved in such things, whether crime, extremism or grooming gangs, they should personally report that person to the police,” he said.
Pir Hassan also delivered a strong message to British Muslim youth, urging them to respect UK law, avoid extremist and criminal networks and recognise the religious and civil freedoms they enjoy in Britain.
He said Muslims had extensive freedom to worship in Britain, including operating mosques, holding religious gatherings and organising events marking Milad-un-Nabi (PBUH).
“There is no doubt that Muslims enjoy freedom of religion here. Muslims should respond to those freedoms by becoming responsible, peaceful and law-abiding citizens. When this country has given you freedom of religion and made the necessities of a good life available to you, Muslims should reciprocate by living as good, peaceful and responsible citizens,” he said.
Pir Hassan said Muslims should treat non-Muslims with respect and kindness and ensure that their everyday conduct reflected the Islamic values of peace, humanity, trustworthiness and moral responsibility.
