A German federal court overturned the ruling of a regional court, which acquitted members of a controversial “Sharia Patrol” operating in Wuppertal.
The case dates back to September 2014 when a group of Salafist Muslims were caught patrolling the streets of Wuppertal in western Germany telling those walking by not to engage in activities forbidden by sharia (Islamic) law.
The group handed out notices to passersby announcing the area was a “Sharia Controlled Zone” which meant that alcohol, drugs, gambling, music and concerts, pornography and prostitution were prohibited.
Despite the fact that the group was dressed in in bright orange vests labelled “Sharia Patrol,” the regional court ruled the group had not violated Germany’s laws on wearing uniforms that are “suggestively militant or intimidating” – a law originally aimed at squelching any nascent Nazi-like street movements.
Via Clarion