Letter to The Times from Rochdale Borough Council

Council Leader Richard Farnell

The Editor, The Times

Dear Sir,

We were disappointed to read the article; ‘Imam beaten to death in sex grooming town’ which appeared in your 20 February edition.

We were concerned by both the headline and the article itself for a number of reasons. Not only does it condemn the whole community for the actions of a small minority, it also makes assumptions about the circumstances surrounding Mr Uddin’s tragic death during the very early stages of the police investigation. Indeed, there is no basis for the speculation in the article that Mr Uddin’s death was an anti-Muslim attack, which was linked to the wider issue of child sexual exploitation.

This type of sensationalist reporting is not something we would expect from a publication like The Times.

We note that the headline was changed online after concerns were raised, but we feel that this has reinforced negative stereotypes which the town has been working hard to shake off.

The assumptions you have made about this tragic incident have caused great hurt and distress to Mr Uddin’s family and the wider community. Rochdale residents from different cultures and backgrounds live peacefully together and this is one of our borough’s greatest strengths.

We urge you to apologise to Mr Uddin’s family and the people of Rochdale for this reckless and ill-informed article.

We also invite you to visit Rochdale and let us show you the reality behind the headlines. Rochdale has faced many challenges, but it’s the residents’ resilience and desire to stick together and support each other in the face of this which makes the borough a truly great place.

Yours sincerely,

Richard Farnell
Leader of Rochdale Borough Council

Tony Lloyd
Interim Mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/101246/jalal-uddin-council-leader-condemns-times-slur-against-rochdale-as-reckless-and-illinformed/