Man Tries To Impose Sharia Law In Minneapolis; Local Muslims Protest

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — One man is trying to impose sharia law in Minneapolis' Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, and his actions have sparked anger among community members, including Muslims.

Muslim community leaders and police are now watching the man "patrolling" the Cedar-Riverside area closely, the Star Tribune reported:

Abdullah Rashid, 22, a Georgia native who moved to Cedar-Riverside last year, has been making the rounds in the Somali-dominated neighborhood, telling people not to drink, use drugs or interact with the opposite sex. If he sees Muslim women he believes are dressed inappropriately, he approaches them and suggests they should wear a jilbab, a long, flowing garment. And he says he's recruiting others to join the effort.

But local Muslim leaders are sounding the alarm. They are working to stop Rashid's group, General Presidency of the Religious Affairs and Welfare of the Ummah, and have notified Minneapolis police, who say he's being banned from a Cedar-Riverside property. Some say the group is preying on vulnerable young Muslims in a community that has dealt with national scrutiny around radicalization and terrorism.

Read much more at the Star Tribune.

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