The Muslim Council of Britain condemned Kemi Badenoch’s attempt to “stoke division” by linking the definition of Islamophobia with the row over grooming gangs. 

The cross-party parliamentary group that created the definition also hit back at Badenoch’s claim that their work said “talking about sex groomers was an example of Islamophobia”.

The MCB said the opposition leader’s comments are “completely false and appears designed to stoke division.”

The row comes as far-right figures have recently revived racist stereotypes targeting Muslims, particularly Pakistanis, regarding grooming gangs. The situation has intensified after Elon Musk, who has praised Badenoch, promoted far-right voices spreading misleading rhetoric about Muslims on X (formerly Twitter).

Evidence contradicts the far-right’s agenda about grooming gangs. The Home Office’s own research in 2020 confirmed that group-based child sexual exploitation offenders are most commonly white. Meanwhile, the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse’s data for 2022/23 reaffirmed this finding. “

The MCB said these facts completely undermine Badenoch’s “inflammatory insinuations.”

““Let me be absolutely clear – British Muslims unequivocally support the thorough investigation and prosecution of all child abusers, regardless of background.’  said Zara Mohammed, Secretary-General of the MCB 

“Those who seek to weaponise this issue against Muslims have already received answers they didn’t want from previous inquiries. Yet they persist in pursuing a divisive agenda rather than focusing on protecting children through evidence-based approaches,”

“What we will not accept is the cynical exploitation of child protection issues to demonise British Muslims. Ms. Badenoch’s comments represent a new low in the Conservative Party’s persistent refusal to tackle anti-Muslim prejudice within its ranks.” 

The MCB, which reiterated its calls for implementing the existing grooming gang inquiry recommendations, said it would “unequivocally support the thorough investigation and prosecution of all child abusers, regardless of background.” 

Badenoch’s ‘wrong’ claim about Islamophobia 

The APPG on British Muslims said Badenoch’s claims about their Islamophobia definition was wrong.

In a statement, it said: “If the leader of the Opposition thoroughly read the report, she would understand the report speaks about the collective smear and trope being used against all British Muslims, a point which she accepted in her own words, and does not speak about legitimate concerns about criminal activity committed by specific individuals.

“There is nothing racist or Islamophobic about addressing any crime or protecting victims, regardless of the ethnicity or faith of the perpetrator.

“However, we must understand the impact of spreading lies and misinformation and whipping up far-right conspiracies on this issue. “

The APPG cited two tragic examples of this: the 2015 murder of 81-year-old Mushin Ahmed, who was stomped to death in Rotherham by someone who labelled him a “groomer,” and the 2019 Christchurch mosque terrorist who massacred 50 Muslims with Rotherham referenced on his weapon.

“The whipping (up) of far-right conspiracies on this issue has already taken lives, including in this country,” added the APPG statement.  

During Prime Minister’s Questions, Badenoch urged the Government to rule out adopting the definition of Islamophobia.

This definition has been widely adopted by community groups, political parties, academics, trade unions, and local authorities across Britain. Notably, the Conservative Party’s English branch remains the only major political party that has not adopted it.

The APPG definition says that Islamophobia is “rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.”

Their 2018 definition explicitly addresses the racist trope of characterising Muslims collectively as “sex groomers” to distinguish between legitimate criminal investigations and the racist stigmatisation of an entire faith community.

Here are a few tweets from those involved with The APPG on British Muslims