UK MP Adnan Hussain backs inquiry into 'evil' sex abuse and rejects Musk interference
Independent MP for Blackburn Adnan Hussain has called for perpetrators of child sexual abuse in Britain to be "made an example of" as a strong deterrence to others.
Hussain also slammed billionaire Elon Musk's interference in British politics, calling the issue "deeply disturbing".
In an interview with Middle East Eye, the MP, who was elected in the July general election, strongly criticised Musk, the world's richest man and an official in the incoming Trump administration.
"As a billionaire who owns one of the most influential social media platforms," Hussain said, "for him to intervene in this issue and in British politics in the manner that he has is deeply disturbing."
The MP also threw his support behind mounting calls for a public inquiry into child sexual abuse "if a culture still remains whereby horrific crimes of this nature can reoccur".
Last week it emerged that the Labour government had rejected in October a request by Oldham Council for a national public inquiry into child sexual exploitation in the council in favour of a local investigation instead.
After Musk posted on X, his social media platform, attacking the Labour government, prominent British politicians intervened to attack Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Political and media attention has focused on child sexual abuse perpetrated by Pakistani-origin and Muslim men, often called "grooming gangs".
Read More »Over the past two decades, groups of Asian-origin and Muslim men have been prosecuted for severe sexual crimes, including rape in high-profile cases.
However, statistics indicate that there is no evidence Pakistanis or Muslims are disproportionately represented among perpetrators of group-based sexual exploitation in Britain.
Innocent Muslims have been attacked and even killed in the last several years over a popular far-right narrative blaming Islam and Pakistani culture for child sexual abuse scandals.
Hussain's constituency, Blackburn, has a significant ethnic minority population, including those of Pakistani origin.
"The perpetrators must be punished severely in accordance with the magnitude of the crimes they've committed," Hussain told MEE.
"They should be made an example of as a strong deterrence and warning to others. Many have already been put through the justice system - this, of course, is not enough for the victims of these crimes," he added.
Hussain noted that victims often "carry the burden of what they suffered with them for the rest of their lives. They must be given all the help they require to attempt to rebuild their lives."
He added: "Safeguards must also be stringently in place to ensure that the perpetrators of these crimes against them are never in a position to affect their lives ever again."
'Evil and depraved'
The politician asserted that the sexual abuse issue had recently surfaced "to fulfil certain political narratives".
"But I don't think we should shy away from further inquiries, if the relevant experts feel that the matter has not been sufficiently dealt with," he said.
Last week, the Conservative Party's shadow justice secretary, former minister Robert Jenrick, wrote in a column for the Telegraph: "Not all cultures are equal: importing hundreds of thousands of people from alien cultures, who possess medieval attitudes towards women, brought us here."
He added: "And after 30 years of this disastrous experiment, we now have entrenched sectarian voting blocs that make it electoral suicide for some MPs to confront this."
Jenrick has since defended his comments - as has Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservative Party.
'It's a slippery slope for politicians to implicate a whole community, culture and religion for the crimes of individuals'
- Adnan Hussain MP
Speaking to MEE, Hussain hit back against Jenrick's rhetoric, saying that "for a politician of his ranking and position to be describing a minority community in the UK in the way he has, especially given the scenes we witnessed on British streets over the summer, is absolutely shocking and deeply dangerous."
This referenced the violent riots targeting Muslims and ethnic minorities that erupted in late July and lasted over a week.
Hussain challenged the idea that the entire Muslim or Pakistani community could be linked to the sexual abuse scandals, describing the crimes as "evil and depraved" but insisting that "they were committed by individuals and not whole communities".
"It's a very slippery and dangerous slope for mainstream politicians to implicate a whole community, culture and religion for the crimes of individuals," he continued.
"Last summer has already taught us the results of this sort of dangerous narrative. However, it seems that politicians such as Jenrick are much more interested in playing divisive politics and pandering to the far-right vote than they are in safeguarding vulnerable communities."
Urging action against Musk
This comes after Starmer accused Conservative MPs of "amplifying what the far-right is saying" on child sexual abuse after failing to act "for 14 long years" while they were in government.
It was part of of an ongoing and escalating spat between the British leader and Musk, a South African who holds US citizenship.
Last week Musk accused Starmer of being "complicit in the rape of Britain" during his tenure as director of public prosecutions (DPP).
Read More »He also demanded the release of Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who calls himself Tommy Robinson and is serving an 18-month prison sentence for breaching a court order by airing a documentary which included defamatory and false claims about a Syrian refugee schoolboy.
Musk described the libellous documentary as "worth watching".
After Starmer said on Monday that online discourse had "crossed a line", Hussain told MEE the government needs to do more to tackle the billionaire's influence.
Describing Musk's intervention as "deeply concerning and disturbing", he said it "has the potential to affect our democracy", adding that "something must really be done to rein in his power, when it comes to his meddling in British politics".
"Especially after what we experienced on British streets over the summer, when Muslims were faced with actual pogrom-like situations, a lot more must be done by authorities to check this abuse of power," he said.
