Certain members of the Islamic religion believe they have the right to ‘police’ American citizens as well as refugees or immigrants.
One young Muslim man currently residing in Cedar-Riverside, Minneapolis has taken it upon himself to impress his values upon others in the community. Abdullah Rashid, 22, has been seen around town sporting a dark green military jacket that reads ‘religious police’ which he wears while patrolling the streets. Other members of the Muslim community don’t condone his behavior but that doesn’t really matter. This demonstrates that there are radical Islamists in America who play by there own rules.
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.
“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.