‘White girls are filthy’: Wives of Muslim men jailed for raping vulnerable British girls reveal why they blame the victims, by Yasmin Alibhai-Brown.

Since reports of a gang of Pakistani-British sexual predators in Rotherham first emerged in 2011, there has been a string of horrific cases: in Rochdale, Peterborough, Bristol, Aylesbury and at least 20 other towns across the country.

Even now white girls, many from troubled homes, are being violated by men who profess to be good Muslims. Such are the explosive racial and religious implications that, to our shame, many refuse to face the problem.

Look at what happened to Sarah Champion, Labour MP for Rotherham, who was sacked from the shadow front bench for saying just this. Or take the case of Amina Lone, a Muslim councillor from Birmingham, who rightly defended Champion but was then told she cannot stand for re-election.

Yes, sexual predators come from all classes and races. However, in organised group rapes, such as those in Rotherham and Rochdale, the issues of race and ethnicity are undeniable. They must be addressed.

As a female British-Muslim writer, I am deeply troubled by the Muslim men who work in packs and entrap and ravage young white girls and teenagers. …

But we know nothing about how these rapists behaved behind their own closed doors. They had wives and children – how could they commit such abhorrent crimes? And now, at last, I was getting access to the family members. …

The other two women, Homa and Mariam, came as young, virgin brides from villages in Pakistan. Arriving here, they spoke no English and their mothers-in-law treated them like slaves. The women would not discuss the intimate parts of their lives at first, resorting instead to vague words and platitudes: ‘Muslim women must give husband,’ said one of them. ‘He want, she don’t like but must give.’

But bit by bit, they opened up, describing a world of loveless sex on demand, of domestic violence, routine debasement. ‘He did it hard, it hurt,’ said Nusrat. ‘It was always painful. He say I am his toy. I say no, he pushed me down, made me cry. He was like a dog.’ …

I tried to dig further down. How, exactly, did their relationships work? The men, always controlling, had become more so with time, angry as they grew older and as the children grew up. These were marriages with no hugs or kisses, with little overt love and a great deal of fear. A portrait emerged of a generation of men torn between two cultures – and they were angry about it. They are more alienated than the older migrants, their fathers and grandfathers, who chose to come here to build new lives and felt more respected. …

Did the wives know about the criminal abuse committed by their husbands, or at least suspect? They all claimed not to, and I believed them. They could not discuss, let alone question, their husband’s movements. As one said: ‘He is a man. He comes and goes as he wants. He doesn’t answer to me.’

Perhaps what took place was beyond their comprehension. They do not seem to understand the concept of consensual sex. In their world, the sex drive is a male urge that must be satisfied. Their men took the white girls as they took their wives.

And from all the evidence, it is clear the men in question still blame the victims and feel no remorse. They are sexual psychotics.

Yet, painful as it is to say, it became clear, too, that the men are not alone in blaming the victims. I asked the women how they would feel if their children had been drugged and raped. They agreed it would break their hearts. But, Mariam said: ‘It can’t happen to our children because they are not in the streets. We look after them.’ …

At a separate meeting, I encountered Suju, the wife of another jailed groomer. She was afraid of him but she, too, thinks white girls are: ‘Filthy. How they dress. They have no shame, no fear of Allah.’ …

Muslim activists fear talking about the abusers encourages racism. They may be right. But the grooming gangs are responsible for much greater racial hostility. Progressive Muslims must make this crime socially unacceptable. The communities which shelter and defend these men must be confronted.

Multi-ethnic societies yes, but not multicultural.