Child sex abuse ‘not a rampant issue’ for Islam in UK, inquiry told

CHILD SEXUAL abuse is not a “rampant issue” within Islam compared to problems such as terrorism and gender violence, an inquiry has heard, because the Koran states “it is the highest form of sin”.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) heard the scale of the problem within

Muslim culture in Britain is not thought to be equal to that of radicalisation or domestic violence.

The latest phase of the IICSA is looking at how child protection is handled in religious organisations and settings in England and Wales.

Moin Azmi, vice-chair of the Mosques and Imams National Advisory

Board (Minab), told the inquiry that since it was founded in 2006, terrorism had been one of its most urgent priorities.

Giving evidence via conference call, Mr Azmi said: “I think you have to look at child sex abuse within a larger context.

“Minab has had to deal with, over the years, issues of terrorism

– which is taking the forefront of the work (we) have been doing.”

He said it had also been tackling issues such as domestic violence, the lack of representation of women in religious institutions and female genital mutilation (FGM).

Mr Azmi said: “Minab feels that if this was a rampant issue within the Muslim community, it would have certainly have been raised.

“We have dealt with domestic violence, which was a rampant issue, we have dealt with women’s issues, which was a rampant issue, and other important issues.”

But the Muslim Women’s Network has called for funding and resources to conduct a review into child sexual abuse, saying that the scale of the problem could be hidden because of the “silence of victims” caused by cultural barriers.

The IICSA has already held separate investigations into the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Church – the two largest religious groups in the country.