WELCOME to the latest Liberal Future debate. It relates to an article – reproduced below – by NHS psychiatrist Dr. Max Pemberton, which appeared in the Daily Mail at the end of March. Our attention was recently drawn to it as it related to the publicity concerning sexual abuse in Rotherham and Telford. In both instances, mainly troubled and vulnerable young white working-class girls were abused on what could be termed an ‘industrial scale’ by men of ‘Pakistani heritage’.

These men of ‘Pakistani heritage’ are Muslims. However, it is important to point out that Liberal Future (unlike the ‘right’) does not blame all Muslims for the actions of some. We are well aware that world Islam is not a monolithic bloc – like many religions, there are differences in interpretation. For instance, Islam includes very liberal Shiite Muslims such as the Alawites (probably the most well known being Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad) as well as extremely culturally conservative Sunni Muslims like the Salafists (who are the medievalist head choppers associated with Islamic State).

Liberal Future (unlike the ‘left’) is also more than happy to expose the behaviour of any section of the community – indigenous or immigrant – without fear or favour. The ‘left’ feels that the mildest criticism of any immigrant community smacks of racism, fascism and Islamophobia. We are not fussed about the colour of someone’s skin or what religious garb they wear – if they have done

wrong, they have done wrong. We need to sweep away any blinkered vision and establish the facts, no matter how uncorfortable or where these facts may lead. This applies to some members of the Muslim community (particularly in the North of England) as well as some members of the – presumably – Christian community who are alleged to belong to rich and powerful paedophile rings.

With the above in mind, we invite our readers to read Dr Pemberton’s article and have their say in the comments section once they see this article on the Liberal Future Facebook site https://www.facebook.com/groups/706779429376233/

It goes without saying that there are no official links between Liberal Future, the National Liberal Party, Dr Pemberton or the Daily Mail.

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It Is NOT Racist To Highlight This Abuse

Headlines relating to the Rotherham (left) and Telford (right) sex scandals. In both instances, mainly troubled and vulnerable young white working-class girls were abused on what could be termed an ‘industrial scale’ by men of ‘Pakistani heritage’. Should we be scared to speak out when such behaviour involves ethnic minorities?

WE MIGHT have hoped something was learned from the sickening scandal of abuse and depravity in Rotherham, but the Telford story shows nothing has changed.

Indeed, many still avoid the issue of paedophile gangs preying on young girls. People would much rather post a #MeToo tweet and congratulate themselves for sharing a story of how their boss once touched their knee than tackle the thorny issue of what’s happening up and down the country to working-class white girls. Far easier to wear a black dress on the red carpet than use your celebrity to speak out for those voiceless girls being raped.

If we want to send a message that we won’t tolerate child sex abuse, we must crack down with unimaginanable force on the likes of those abusing girls in Telford and condemn them with one loud, unified voice. Yet I worry the questions raised by this are too challenging.

Children are abused by people from all sorts of walks of life, but it would be foolish not to understand there’s a cohort of men from certain ethnic minorities, in particular of Pakistani heritage, who view women in a different way from the rest of us.

Clearly, these men’s behaviour is not representative of their culture. But these scandals emerge from social mores that endorse or turn a blind eye to female genital mutilation, forced marriage and honour killings; a culture that believes because white women wear revealing clothes, they must be prostitutes; a culture that forbids women leading independent lives – or even learning English.

Like many doctors in inner-city hospitals, I’ve seen countless women able to communicate only through a relative who translates for them, subservient to their husbands, living lives of quiet desperation.

This is what provides the fertile grounds for these rape-gangs.

Talking about these cultural differences – and accepting that it is not racist to point them out – is the first step in sending a clear message to the wicked minority in those communities who refuse to alter their behaviour or beliefs.

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