Again not sure how unique that is. Like the stag night motto "what happens on tour stays on tour".
Nobody is saying misogyny or abuse are
unique to Asian cultures. Nor is anyone saying the close-knit aspects referred to here are
unique. You need step away from your angst on this. It is not racist to criticise aspects of a culture. There is nothing inherent, congenital, or genetic about culture.
There are cultural aspects to this case that I'm sure you can see. One is that the girls abused appear to have been from a different culture to the men. (In this and some other high visibility cases, although not in all cases where an abuser is Asian). Abusers abuse youngsters who are available. And if you're "grooming" girls on the street in takeaways and so on at night, the girls who might be more likely to be about are possibly non Asian girls. If that turns out to be a factor, then that's very definitely cultural.
Another factor, I'm afraid, is the attitudes to women often associated with Muslim cultures. Yes, there's misogyny elsewhere. Does that need to be said? And no, Islam need not be misogynistic (although the expression of it does tend to be). But what happens is that attitudes towards women that are actually derived from patriarchal cultures (which happen also to be Muslim) are assumed by
those in the culture to be derived from Islam. Tradition and religion are mixed up. People then assume that God wants women to be second class, because they always have been. (Just as the CofE can be split over whether God wants women priests). That does not mean all Muslim Asians are rapists and child-abusers. Just as in fact all patriarchal misogynists are not. But it's that
general mismatch of power that leads to abuse of power
in some cases. Again, nobody is saying this is unique.
I also note that many of the men sentenced in Rochdale are unbearded. The stories also refer to drinking. And of course to sexual intercourse outside marriage. These are clearly not devout Muslim men. (In fact I think I'm right in saying that not all were even nominally Muslim. At least one was not). The point is that the cultural norms about women that these men imbibed played a role. Of course that is true of other cultures. But refusing to see the role culture played
in this case is being wilfully dishonest. And that can play into some very dangerous hands.
Another culture that needs to be addressed, of course, is why the authorities were so unwilling to believe witness testimony.
