"By Faiza Mahamud - Star Tribune - April 13, 2017"
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A man trying to impose what he calls "the civil part of the sharia law" in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis has sparked anger among local residents and Muslim leaders.
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.
Interesting! The impression local leaders, citizens and CAIR (Council American Islamic Relations) are expressing, seem odd? What is going on here? Who is behind it? Is it a twisted way to implement Sharia, making it look like it is not wanted?
"What he's doing is wrong and doesn't reflect the community at all," said Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
Minneapolis police received reports in February from concerned residents who saw Rashid in a dark green uniform that said "Muslim Defense Force" and "Religious Police" and had two flags associated with ISIS and other terrorist groups.
In a recent interview, Rashid said he aims to turn Cedar-Riverside into a "sharia-controlled zone" where Muslims are learning about the proper practices of Islam and that "non-Muslims are asked to respect" it.
Individuals that want power, especially males, who have been criminals in the past, Islam is the perfect solution. Why? Because Islam is about male dominance. Muslim males do not like to be controlled by non-Muslims or any female.
"Rashid, who was previously known as Devon James Miller, converted to Islam in 2009. He said he first started the religious police group in Georgia in 2013, and wants to grow it internationally.
Who influenced Rashid to become a Muslim? Did it happen while he was serving time behind bars? There is a huge prison population of Muslims, converting inmates. Perfect place to tell individuals that like to control, manipulate others and perform criminal actions, that under Islam you can abuse, kill, rape all in the name of Islam.
Rashid sued, and court documents show he has had run-ins with law enforcement in the past. He was arrested as a juvenile in Walton County, Ga., for impersonating a police officer, and a school district reported he had harassed a 16-year-old classmate on Facebook, according to the documents. The school district report mentioned he had mental health issues, and his mother said he had been suicidal.
Rashid, who initially said he was working with Minneapolis police, said he is continuing his effort to provide security and protect Muslims' civil rights. He said he has enlisted a group of 10 men, ages 18 and 25, to help him patrol the area.
On his website, Rashid posted a video titled "Never Trust Non-Muslims" by Anwar al-Awlaki, leader of an Al-Qaida affiliate in Yemen, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2011. And he had initially listed the Masjid Shaafici Cultural Center in Cedar-Riverside address as his organization's headquarters..."
Read entire article @: Star Tribune
