German Court: Sharia Police Intimidating People Not Illegal

This move effectively just legalized Sharia patrols enforcing Islamic law by harassing people. Expect plenty of more imitators if this verdict holds up.

A German court on Monday ruled that a group of Islamists did not break the law in forming "sharia police" street patrols and telling people to stop drinking, gambling and listening to music.

The ultra-conservative Muslim group around German Salafist convert Sven Lau sparked public outrage with their vigilante patrols in the western city of Wuppertal in 2014, but prosecutors have struggled to build a case against them.

The city's district court ruled that the seven accused members of the group did not breach a ban on political uniforms when they approached people while wearing orange vests bearing the words "Sharia Police".

Judges said there could only be a violation of the law - originally aimed against street movements such as the early Nazi party - if the uniforms were "suggestively militant or intimidating", a court spokesman said.

What's the difference between Nazis and Sharia police? Let's put aside the claim that some people didn't know what they are. If one witness mistook a Nazi uniform for a Salvation Army uniform, it wouldn't change the core intent which is to menace and intimidate. That is the purpose of Sharia police. 

So this really becomes a debate over whether Sharia police can be considered menacing. Since Islamists dominate the dialogue and the claim is made that any criticism of Islam is Islamophobic, then Sharia police can't possibly be intimidating.