News Desk |
The group took to the streets of Wuppertal, an industrial town with a vast Muslim population, in 2014 dressed in orange vests bearing the words ‘Sharia Police’ and handing out leaflets declaring the area a ‘Sharia-Controlled Zone’ where alcohol, pornography, and music were banned under the self-imposed Islamic ’Sharia law’.
The court disclosed that the group was aware of the militant effect they imposed on the streets. They were acquitted in 2016 as the judges found the vest couldn’t be classified as uniforms and were not intimidating, causing the federal court to order a retrial.
The German Islamic Council has recently published an extensive report detailing the discrimination faced by Muslim communities in educational institutes and workplace.
The movement was led by one of Germany’s best-known fundamentalist preacher, Sven Lau, a 38-year old convert to Islam. Lau was sentenced to a five-year jail term in a separate case, after being proven guilty of “supporting a terrorist organization” by recruiting potential jihadists to travel to Syria.
The Muslim expats in European countries are being victimized by the two-edged sword of Islamophobia and religious fundamentalism. The peaceful Muslim communities suffer at the hand of both, religious extremists and perpetrators of anti-Muslim hate crime that mars their day-to-day life.
The German Islamic Council has recently published an extensive report detailing the discrimination faced by Muslim communities in educational institutes and workplace.
Read more: Germany moves to bring Mosques under Govt.
Given the negative portrayal of Muslims on TV and social media, the study highlights the threat Xenophobia has on Muslims and pinpoints ways to quells anti-Muslim sentiments.