MOSCOW, September 6 (RIA Novosti), Ekaterina Blinova - Eleven members of the self-proclaimed "Sharia Police," which were allegedly trying to "influence and recruit" German youths, were stopped by local police on Wednesday, September 3, in Wuppertal, a city of 350,000.
"These people's intention is to provoke and intimidate and force their ideology (upon others)," claimed Peter Jung, Wuppertal's mayor, adding that Wuppertal has always been an "open and tolerant city, which is proud of the fact that people of different religions and convictions live together in peace," as cited by Deutsche Welle.
The followers of Salafism, a fundamentalist form of Islam were seen on Wednesday, September 3, dressed in orange traffic safety vests with the words 'Sharia Police' on their backs, 'patrolling' the streets of Wuppertal. The Salafi volunteers have declared the nightlife areas of Wuppertal to be a 'Sharia Controlled Zone,' and persuaded young people "to refrain from alcohol, drugs, gambling, attending concerts, watching pornography or visiting prostitutes," the media source notes.
"What have all the grumblers now coming out of the woodwork done for wayward youth? Do you realize how many are buying and consuming drugs? If you are so honest and good, where is your shrieking and outrage?" read the statement on the 'Sharia Police Germany' Facebook page, as cited by United Press International.
A propaganda video, posted on YouTube by German Salafists, shows Muslim volunteers urging young people to visit Salafists' mosques and offers them 'a path to paradise.'
The initiative of the Muslim fundamentalists has immediately provoked serious concerns among the city-dwellers and the state authorities, who suspect the 'Sharia Police' members areencouraging German youths to join ISIS or other Islamist radical groups. It is worth mentioning that Northrhein-Westphalia's Salafist community consists of 1,800 members, ten of whom are considered to be radical extremists.
Deutsche Welle has cited Birgitta Rademacher, the Wuppertal Police Chief, as saying: "Intimidation or provocation won't be tolerated." She also added that the so-called 'Sharia Police' had no legitimate right to act as police in Germany.
"The video is a new provocation and part of the Salafist propaganda, which shows that the scene does not acknowledge Germany's rule of law," stressed Joerg Rademacher, the German Interior Minister spokesperson, as quoted by the NBC News.
It is not the first time Muslim fundamentalists are trying to enforce Sharia law in European cities. In 2013, the Guardian reported of self-styled "Muslim Patrol" vigilantes jailed for harassing London civilians. The gang had assaulted Britons for drinking alcohol, claiming, reportedly: "Why are you poisoning your body? It is against Islam. This is Muslim Patrol. Kill the non-believers."
In the wake of the increased domestic threat, posed by the Islamic State's followers, experts call the European governments to keep an eye on local sectarian Islamic groups.
