"I do not agree that hundreds of children, in a large area of Northern England, raped by members of a minority group, is insignificant.
That is not racist either."

Neither do I.
I suspect that it is the minimalist or reductive manner in which you present your position which causes some to react so angrily. And I understand their reasoning, but find the manner unhelpful. Particularly in light of the issues raised by some concerning the taboo relating to crimes which have a particular racial element. Repressing discussions on such a topic with shouts of "racist bigot!" can only contribute further to the problem.

Meanwhile, I've been following some of the discussions on this topic on a variety of fora which include a far broader demographic than here. We don't have a variety of people from different ethnic backgrounds at Mudcat, but my impression from reading other fora which do, is that they can result in less of a "man the barricades" response to these issues. In particular I've found some of the blogs posted by Westerners with Asian backgrounds to be helpful in broadening my awareness of some of the complex issues surrounding this phenomenon. And of course "complex issues" is a key point there. Arguably one which Straw et al, have failed to address in those comments you've highlighted about aspects of Pakistani culture which they argue are causing this problem.

This blog from Eurasian Sensation - The thorny question of Muslim youth and rape has this to say about the role of "culture" in these crimes:

"The sort of young men of Muslim backgrounds who commit this sort of crime are certainly not acting out any religious or cultural imperative. Rather, they are cherry-picking whatever cultural influences serve their purposes in the worst way. The rebellious sociopathy of the gang lifestyle; the lure of easy sex and cheap titillation that abounds in Western countries. These things of course are totally at odds with the culture of Pakistan, Lebanon or any other traditional country. Yet by channelling that traditional perspective of female morality, and victimising only those they view as degraded and cheap, it becomes that much easier to justify."