British Muslims 'must report grooming gangs or be complicit', says leading Pakistani cleric

British Pakistanis must speak out against grooming gangs or risk becoming complicit in the abuse through their silence, a leading Pakistani cleric has said.

Muhammad Hassan Haseeb-ur-Rehman, who serves as custodian of the Eidgah Sharif shrine in Rawalpindi, one of Pakistan's most prominent Sufi religious centres, delivered the message during a speaking tour across the UK.

The shrine is understood to have tens of thousands of followers in Britain.

Mr Haseeb-ur-Rehman urged community members to go to the police to report child groomers, insisting offenders must face the harshest penalties available.

He is widely recognised for speaking at religious and spiritual gatherings both in Pakistan and internationally.

He said: "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."

The cleric called on individuals to take personal responsibility, stating: "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 maintained that Muslims should be at the forefront of condemning and reporting anyone engaged in grooming, sexual exploitation, drug dealing, criminal activity or extremism, regardless of the perpetrator's faith, ethnic background or family connections.

He added: "Those who are involved, whoever they may be, should certainly receive the punishment they deserve."

His UK visit comes after the independent public inquiry into grooming gangs, led by Baroness Longfield, outlined plans for the first local investigations in London, Bradford and Oldham.

The inquiry, which followed a GB News investigation that uncovered the scandal, will examine how police forces, local councils and other agencies responded, and whether institutional failures stemmed from concerns about the ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds of those responsible.

Mr Haseeb-ur-Rehman said he encountered deep anxiety within the British Muslim community about the grooming gang coverage and what it means for Muslims more broadly.

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He noted that young British Muslims made up the majority of attendees at many of his gatherings.

Mr Haseeb-ur-Rehman also underscored the need for religious scholars to address civic responsibilities alongside traditional spiritual topics.

He said: "First and foremost, Muslims need to condemn grooming gangs. We strongly condemn them.

"They have absolutely no connection with the teachings of Islam."

The cleric was emphatic that neither religious identity nor community ties should shield criminals.

He argued that those Muslims who engage in grooming, drug dealing, criminality or extremism tarnish the reputation of their faith and their community, rather than representing the wider Muslim population.

He added: "Grooming gangs, drug dealers, criminals and extremists who happen to be Muslim have brought disrepute upon Muslims and our community."

Mr Haseeb-ur-Rehman also stressed that such criminal conduct was not confined to any single religious or ethnic group.

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