I will apologise unreservedly for saying that or implying that all young Pakistani men think about white girls in that way. Not all of them do and that was my mistake. I don't even think that all of that group of people think that way so it was a genuine error.
I knew Laura Wilsons family and grew up a few minutes walk from where she lived. If you had grown up in that area I am pretty sure your opinions would be different.
I am actually very liberal. I have different views to my family and friends and people down the road. I like living in a culturally diverse area. I am actually quite intelligent when I try to be and studied philosophy at degree level. I am not religious but find different religions fascinating and absolutely believe that people have the right to worship.
But in my opinion religion did play a part in the abuse. Some muslims believe that their religion is the best and that anyone who does not worship at their alter is a lesser man (or woman or even girl). This contributed to making them feel like what they were doing was ok. The reason they targetted and groomed non muslim girls was because these girls were not the daughters or sisters of fellow muslims.
And because they weren't muslim girls it was ok to abuse and rape and pass them around their friends. It was ok to get them hooked on drugs or get them drunk and drive them around the country for the entertainment of their fellow muslims. It was ok to alienate them from their families and tear apart lives because they weren't muslim girls.
I am ashamed to say that my feelings about a whole sector of our society has changed. That whereas before this I would have gone out of my way to defend muslims I keep quiet now. I have moved areas to keep my dd safe. And my ds too. Not only do some muslims use the political correctness of society to hide sexual abuse in plain sight drugs are also a massive problem where we used to live.
I know that not all muslims of Pakistani origin are child abusers. But I know that some are and some are still walking around our town. And I suspect that many of the girls involved haven't and won't come forward.
A (bizarrely enough) taxi driver discussed this with me a few months ago. A news report mentioned it. He commented he was disgusted by it all and the men that did it should be ashamed of themselves. He then went on to say that it had brought so much shame on him and his family and all the other good muslims, how he didn't feel safe working at night anymore and how much racism he encountered now because of it.
Nothing about how ashamed he was because of the damage that had been done to families and the girls or the lives lost or destroyed because of it. Just how the aftermath was affecting him and his family and his community.
I am not saying that all muslims in Rotherham felt the same as him but that seems to be the general attitude. That what happened has brought shame on them. Not sorrow that it happened.
So my views on muslims has changed and not in a nice way. No one is born racist and up until a few years ago would have categorically denied I was racist. But if racism is defined as mistrusting a sector of society based on their country of origin or the colour of their skin or the God they worship then I could be classed as racist.
Many people in Rotherham are and they didn't used to be. It's not right and it's not an excuse but what has happened here has destroyed lives and families and it happened because of one race. Not one person or smll group of people. But a pretty big one. And on a massive scale that I believe is only skirted around by what has come to light.