The great writer Voltaire is often quoted as noting, “To determine the true rulers of any society, all you must do is ask yourself this question: Who is it that I am not permitted to criticize?”
Society today has certainly taken those taboos to heart. The instant witch hunts of social media and the need to feed the 24/7 news cycle have made taking an unpopular stance foolish, if not fatal, to one’s standing, employment and future opportunities.
Thus, it should be no surprise that the police in Rotherham, England did not take action while a reported 1,400 children were sexually abused between 1997 and 2013. The reason? They were afraid to be labeled as racists, according to a report on the situation, because the prime suspects in the abuse were Pakistani.
The report which revealed the abuse of more than 1,400 children in Rotherham found many reasons why the child sexual exploitation remained hidden until recently, among them are incompetence, lack of accurate record keeping, and failure to follow the threads of various incidents.
But it may be the first time that the root cause of why it has been allowed to flourish has come to light.
Ironically, the strongest condemnation of the police cowardice in this situation has come from Britain’s Muslim community.
“Race, religion or political correctness should never provide a cloak of invisibility to such grotesque crimes,” said Muhbeen Hussain, found of the Rotherham Muslim Youth Group.
Perhaps this report will mark a departure from the fear that confuses free speech with hate speech. If not, we may well remember the words of another Britisher, George Orwell: “It’s a beautiful thing, the destruction of words.”