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Musk have to broad his minds!

Wajahat Ali Khan

Currently, Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, is in the news for his controversial statements. In recent days, some of his statements have attracted significant attention. Musk severely criticised British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on the issue of “grooming gangs” in the UK. He also made serious allegations against the Prime Minister through the social media platform X of being complicit in the crimes of child sexual abusers. Along with this, Musk also demanded a national inquiry to investigate child sexual abuse. Some of Musk’s similar statements also targeted British Muslims of Pakistani origin, which drew strong reactions from various quarters. Critics say Musk’s statements are tantamount to stoking the flames of racism in Britain’s multicultural society. Musk has continued his campaign on the social media platform X, where he continues to make controversial remarks on the British government and other topics. His statements sometimes contradict each other, and he also takes a U-turn on them, which is raising questions about his credibility. Due to these controversial statements, Elon Musk is facing criticism from various quarters and the social impact of these statements is being debated. In the past few weeks, Elon Musk has also been criticising European leaders, including the British Prime Minister, in defence of far-right figures and now he has become involved in a controversial debate about the term “Asian grooming gangs”.
Following Musk’s statement, Indian lawmaker Priyanka Chaturvedi criticized the British Prime Minister’s use of the word “Asian” in relation to child sexual abuse scandals, saying that most of the incidents involved men of Pakistani origin. Then, Indian Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote on “X”, ‘Repeat with me, this is not an Asian grooming gang but a ‘Pakistani grooming gang’. Elon Musk responded with “Truth”, indicating support for the comment and raising concerns among the Pakistani community in the UK that we have been bracketed in this matter.
British Labour MP Naz Shah has called Musk’s statement “dangerous” and said it is likely to fuel divisions. “The idea that Elon Musk is supporting someone who has been convicted by our courts like Tommy Robinson is, to me, a terrifying idea,” Shah said, referring to the far-right activist who is notorious for inciting anti-Muslim sentiment.
Elon Musk’s advocacy groups say such narratives “risk divisiveness,” especially in multicultural societies like Britain. Highlighting the broader implications of such rhetoric, Naz Shah pointed to the risks of violence stemming from divisive narratives, saying “it is very real.” She warned that inciting division and hatred has serious consequences, as we have seen in tragedies like the Christchurch Mosque attacks. It is a dangerous game that puts people’s lives at risk. On the other hand, organisations like the Network of Sikh Organizations (NSO) have long advocated for greater precision in talking about these issues, with the NSO repeatedly emphasizing the harms caused by vague terms like Asian grooming gangs that unfairly implicate wider South Asian communities.
So, it is worrying that influential figures like Elon Musk, through their large platforms, may inadvertently amplify harmful stereotypes, which detract from meaningful efforts to tackle crime and help victims.
Even in 2023, the then Indian-born British Home Secretary Suella Braverman repeatedly made statements that most grooming gangs in the country that exploit underage white girls for sex are British men of Pakistani origin.
Contrary to the allegations of Elon Musk and some Indian supporters, figures released by the British Home Office over the past ten years paint a somewhat different picture. In 2020, the Home Office released a report on grooming gangs that sexually abused underage girls, stating that the largest ethnic group involved in all these crimes was white or white criminals.
In some areas where more black or Asian people were involved, unlike the rest of the country, these people were in the majority. Even before this, according to data from limited areas released by the government in 2015, 42% of those involved in grooming gangs were white, while Asians were 146 and black 176.
In addition, an independent investigation had also revealed that cases in which the perpetrators are white, those cases are not covered as much as cases involving Asian crimes. British think tanks, different from these unrealistic statements by Elon Musk, are expressing fears that if the government does not take immediate and correct action, the recent statements will further increase prejudice against the British Pakistan community and there will be a risk of racist attacks.
There is one more fact that overseas Pakistanis living in the northern regions of the UK have been accused of sex grooming and drug dealing more than in other areas, 50 regardless of the allegations made by Elon Musk or Indians, we need to be vigilant against such elements in our ranks.
Contrary to the allegations of Elon Musk and some Indian supporters, figures released by the British Home Office over the past ten years paint a somewhat different picture. In 2020, the Home Office released a report on grooming gangs that sexually abused underage girls, stating that the largest ethnic group involved in all these crimes was white or white criminals.
In some areas where more black or Asian people were involved, unlike the rest of the country, these people were in the majority. Even before this, according to data from limited areas released by the government in 2015, 42% of those involved in grooming gangs were white, while Asians were 14% and black 17%.
In addition, an independent investigation had also revealed that cases in which the perpetrators are white, those cases are not covered as much as cases involving Asian crimes. British think tanks, different from these unrealistic statements by Elon Musk, are expressing fears that if the government does not take immediate and correct action, the recent statements will further increase prejudice against the British Pakistani community and there will be a risk of racist attacks.
There is one more fact that overseas Pakistanis living in the northern regions of the UK have been accused of sex grooming and drug dealing more than in other areas, so regardless of the allegations made by Elon Musk or Indians, we need to be vigilant against such elements in our ranks.
Elon Musk should also consider the fact that there are all kinds of people in every nation or every community, so the bad actions of a few people cannot be called the evil of the whole community. Now Musk will have to keep in mind the voting in the British Parliament last month when an attempt by the Conservatives to have the government set up a national inquiry into grooming gangs has been voted down by 364 votes to 111 votes, a margin of 253.

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