Pir Hassan condemns grooming gangs, urges British Muslims to report offenders

Religious scholar Pir Muhammad Hassan Haseeb-ur-Rehman has strongly condemned grooming gangs and child sexual exploitation,

LONDON: Religious scholar Pir Muhammad Hassan Haseeb-ur-Rehman has strongly condemned grooming gangs and child sexual exploitation, saying individuals involved in such crimes have no connection with Islamic teachings and must face the strongest punishment permitted under the law.

During an extensive tour of the United Kingdom, where he addressed around 43 religious gatherings over nearly six weeks, Pir Hassan said Muslims should take a leading role in condemning and reporting people involved in grooming, sexual abuse, drugs, criminal activities and extremism, regardless of their religion, ethnicity or family background.

Pir Hassan is associated with Eidgah Sharif in Rawalpindi, a prominent Sufi religious centre with a significant following among British Muslims. During his UK tour, he addressed gatherings across London, the Midlands, Yorkshire and Scotland, where he said the issue of grooming gangs was repeatedly raised by members of the community.

In an interview, the religious scholar said British Muslims were deeply concerned about the coverage of grooming-gang convictions and the impact of such crimes on the wider community. He said many young British Muslims attended his gatherings, making it important for religious scholars to discuss not only religious teachings but also the responsibilities of Muslims as citizens of the countries where 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.

He stressed that anyone involved in the sexual exploitation of children should be opposed and brought to justice, regardless of whether the individual was Muslim, Pakistani or belonged to another community.

“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 described grooming and child sexual abuse as acts that were “against Islam, against humanity and against the law”, stressing that Islamic teachings offered no justification for harming or exploiting children.

He said offenders should receive the punishment prescribed by law and that neither religious identity nor community connections should provide protection to criminals.

His remarks come amid an ongoing national debate in Britain over group-based child sexual exploitation. The UK government has established a statutory Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs to investigate institutional failures linked to such abuse, including issues concerning ethnicity, religion and culture.

Pir Hassan also rejected attempts to associate grooming-gang offenders with Islam, Muslims or Pakistanis as a whole. He said Muslims involved in criminal activities could damage the reputation of their faith and community but should be viewed as individuals acting against Islamic principles rather than representatives of the wider Muslim population.

He urged Muslims to report criminal behaviour 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.

Addressing British Muslim youth, Pir Hassan called for respect for UK laws and warned against criminal and extremist networks. He also highlighted the religious freedoms available to Muslims in Britain, including the ability to establish mosques, hold religious gatherings and organise events such as Milad-un-Nabi (PBUH).

He said Muslims should respond to these freedoms by becoming peaceful, responsible and law-abiding citizens while treating people of other faiths with respect and kindness.

Pir Hassan emphasised that Muslims’ conduct should reflect Islamic values of peace, humanity, honesty, trust and moral responsibility, saying responsible citizenship was essential to maintaining harmony within British society.