Rotherham child sex scandal

The successful prosecution and the subsequent, richly deserved, severe sentences handed down to the Hussain brothers and their associates in the Rotherham child abuse scandal, raises a glimmer of hope that the increasing phenomenon of child abuse will, one day, be eradicated from our society. I am deeply alarmed and saddened that Muslims have been shown to be guilty of such abhorrent crimes. 

However, as a law abiding citizen I find it more disturbing that, even after the crimes were reported, the police and other protection agencies, failed to put a stop to them. Indeed, it is alleged that, over a very long period, the authorities continued to ignore complaints made by the victims and their parents or guardians.

From a social, moral and religious perspective, this case and many others like it, in which Muslims have been, or are allegedly involved, should be a cause of the deepest concern to us all. Society should, surely, be a place where people can live in trust with each other, display kindness and mercy towards those who are the weakest and most vulnerable in society and provide protection, when and where necessary, to any who may need it.

Islam, with its sublime teachings, seeks to bind human society, on the ground of moral and spiritual understanding, thereby creating an environment where the animalistic nature of human beings is subdued, encouraging the development of a sense of responsibility and a healthy fear of the consequences of our misdeeds and wrongdoings.

All abusive and illegal sexual relationships are categorised in Islam under ‘zina’ or fornication. When any relationship includes the sexual grooming or abuse of children then it must be recognised as one of the most heinous of crimes. Those committing, or possessing the intention to commit such disgusting acts, live continually with the prospect of committing 'zina'.

The Quranic teaching is unequivocal about this: ‘Do not even approach fornication for it is an outrageous act and an evil way’. S17 V32

Can it be any clearer than that? Zina is condemned in the Quran and by the Prophet Mohammad, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, in the strongest possible terms and such acts are ‘haraam’, or religiously forbidden. The following Quranic verse places further emphasis on it by saying: ‘Tell them, (O Mohammad): ‘my Lord has indeed forbidden indecent acts, whether overt or hidden, all manner of sin, wrongful transgression….’ S7 V33. The indecent acts mentioned in the verse, or the ‘fawahish’, as they are referred to in the Quran, are all about zina and everything that leads up to it.

Islam is a religion of law and legality. In order that humanity may prosper Allah has created legal routes which we must follow. Deeds that follow these routes are acceptable to Him, but others, committed outside the parameters contained in them, are deemed illegitimate and unacceptable by Him.

There are many reasons why zina is forbidden. Firstly, Islam creates a very clear system for acceptable human reproduction. A father has to be recognisable so that a child can relate to him and the father can fulfil his responsibilities. The child can then retain his dignity and understand his genealogy. Zina nullifies this relationship and, when the father is not known, a child may feel abandoned throughout their life. Any hope of a normal life may also be destroyed, and this may, in turn, lead them to a similar disregard towards their own offspring. Unfortunately, it is clear from reports emanating from the Rotherham abuse case, that some of the girls abused have borne children.

Islam allows no laxity in matters of rights and personal relationships. Marriage is the only legal channel for all sexual relationships. Islam has the tightest and most rigid of codes when it comes to relationships between men and women and it also reserves the most severe of punishments for those who violate them.

The biggest question that should face people before they set out to commit such abhorrent sexual crimes: would they be happy if the same act was perpetrated by others on their own kin and children? The answer from most of us: certainly not! We are all, hopefully, protective of our families, but, lamentably, there are among us the few who are unable to identify with any dignified concept of a family life. Children, whether our own or those of others, must always be regarded as innocent and as such, they need compassion, support and a good quality of life. We must, therefore, learn how to recognise the 'lone wolf' sexual predators and their animalistic desires. If any of our children have been exploited in this most appalling manner we should provide any and all the help and support they need in their rehabilitation.

The law of the land needs to be respected and obeyed. Additionally, spiritual guidance needs to be followed in these matters. Any punishment that is handed down to offenders must be severe enough as to act as a deterrent to others who may be inclined to commit similar offences.

Pornographic sites and freely available sexual images appear to play a big role in people’s sexual fantasy and consequently in the exploitation of children. There is obviously a need for much stricter censorship laws than those that currently exist.

As Muslims we must present the world with a better picture of ourselves, more representative of the Islamic guidance by which we live and remove any misunderstanding of this guidance. Every action, good or bad, produces a reaction. Our accountability to Allah for our actions will bring consequences down on us, both in this world and in the Hereafter.

No doubt some Muslims, over the years, have misused the permission, granted to us by Allah, of allowing marriage with up to four wives in certain circumstances. This does not, in any way justify the rape and sexual abuse of children or young girls, and only those with the foulest of mentalities would seek to do so. 

Our behaviour as Muslims should be seen by the rest of the world as beacons of everything that is decent, humane and spiritually fulfilling the needs of human society. If we fail to demonstrate and achieve this, we will descend to the lowest of the low and, religiously, we will be lost.

We, the Muslim community, now need to constantly remind ourselves of the lessons to be learned from the Rotherham case and become much more aware of the predators among us. By timely alerting of the authorities and taking even better care of all children, we can play a more decisive role in eliminating such evils from the society in which we live. True Islam teaches what is decent and legal in the sight of Allah and in the sight of the people, and if we follow its guidance we can free our society from these evildoers.