London: September 7, 2017. (PCP) Several Sikh, Hindu and Pakistani Christian groups have written a joint letter criticising Labour’s “weak response” to a frontbencher who spoke out about an evident trend in criminality in sex-grooming cases. The letter, co-signed by Lord Singh of Wimbledon and Wilson Chowdhry of the British Pakistani Christian Association sets out to defend Sarah Champion, a prominent Labour MP who was forced to quit the front bench after she highlighted that an unusually high percentage of perpetrators of sex crimes involving street-grooming involved Muslim men of Pakistani origin. The content of the letter is as follows: (London: 4 September, 2017) We commend the former Shadow Cabinet member Sarah Champion and Muslim Councilor Amina Lone for bravely speaking up on a clear trend in criminality in which we've seen the conviction of men of largely Pakistani, Muslim heritage in sexual grooming cases. Despite being sacked from the Shadow Cabinet, Champion continues to make a courageous stand on the issue.[1] Rochdale, Rotherham, Oxford and more recently Newcastle are just a few examples of a significant number of convictions, which highlight an obvious and clear pattern. However, it's not just white girls who fall victim. Hindu and Sikh organisations have been raising concerns about grooming gangs for decades.[2] [3] This crime has not just affected English girls, but something that has plagued our communities for a very long time. So much so, that a BBC documentary on the targeting of Sikh girls was aired a few years ago.[4] The common denominator is the fact that victims almost always tend to be non-Muslim girls. We are utterly dismayed by the weak response from the Labour leadership on this important matter, which appears to be a cynical attempt to curry favour with sections of voters in Labour's northern strongholds – towns and cities where sexual grooming gangs have and continue to be active. The sacking of Sarah Champion and de-selection of Amina Lone are simply acts of cowardice. We are no longer willing to see victims being sacrificed on the altar of political correctness. It is not 'racist' or 'Islamophobic' to talk about this important issue, it is a matter of significant public interest and concern to many families up and down this country. We don't just betray the victims and their families, by not having the courage to speak out; we also pay a huge disservice to those from within the Pakistani community who've had the courage to raise the problem. It is no longer acceptable to demonise and smear those who speak an unpalatable truth. We would like to see an honest debate and work with authorities in tackling a frightening crime that regrettably appears to have embedded itself into British society. Yes, Champion is right we cannot ignore the race of the perpetrators, but we can also no longer ignore that victims of sexual grooming gangs are almost always non-Muslim. [Ends] Lord Indarjit Singh of Wimbledon on behalf of the Network of Sikh Organisations, Wilson Chowdhry on behalf of the British Pakistani Christian Association Sanjay Jagatia on Behalf of Hindu Council UK Wilson Chowdhry, Chairman for the British Pakistani Christian Association, said: "Pakistani men of the Muslim faith ran a huge child sexual exploitation in Rotherham between the 1980's and until 2013, which the police new about very early on. However due to fear of allegations of racism during a time of overladen political correctness police investigation of the crimes was limited. "The local Labour council also fearful of a backlash from their Labour voting ethnic minority and complete ineptness also lacked a desire to confront the crimes. The resultant failures by statutory agencies led to over 14000 victims being abused by predominantly Pakistani Muslim men. A similar sexual abuse case in Rochdale around the same period only reinforces a particular ethnic slant towards such crime (click here), as again the operating gang was Pakistani and Muslim." "This abhorrent cover up is a poor indictment of the justice system in the UK and evidences a focus on not offending perpetrators, whereas it is the victims that should be a priority in any criminal investigation. "Moreover, it is essential going forward that trend analysis is truthful and that instead of labeling the criminals in such cases as 'Asian' they should from the start have been identified as Pakistani and Muslim. Only then can statutory services use such data to improve conviction rates and work towards the eradication of such crimes."