We’re told 84% of grooming gangs are Asian. But where’s the evidence? | Kenan Malik

Bickering over a disputed report shows how little we know about the perpetrators

Few debates about academic methodology result in a researcher being labelled a “posh socialist ‘activdemic’” or another being told that her work is akin to a BNP leaflet. But this is no ordinary academic debate. It’s about Asian “grooming gangs” and a report on the issue published last year by the anti-extremism thinktank the Quilliam Foundation.

Thanks to a series of high-profile court cases, the question of Asian and, specifically, Muslim grooming gangs has become an incendiary issue. Quilliam and its chairman, Maajid Nawaz, divide opinion. For some, they are a scourge on political correctness, bravely shining a light on dark corners of Muslim communities. For others, they give succour to bigots.

In many small towns, Asians control the night-time economy – working in takeaways or driving minicabs

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from Children | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2DgC2vx