Muslim Patrol

{{islam}}
The '''Muslim Patrol''' was a [[London]]-based organisation consisting of several fanatics, dedicated to hassling non-[[Muslims]] who enter "Muslim areas."<ref>http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2013/jan/24/muslim-patrol-gang-arrests-homophobic-video</ref> In January 2013 it maintained a [[YouTube]] channel containing videos of its activities; this has since been closed, but the videos can be found elsewhere online. 

One video begins with the makers [[shaming|jeering at a woman in a miniskirt]] before haranguing people who are carrying [[alcohol]]ic drinks, telling them that "this is a Muslim area, obviously no alcohol is allowed in this area." After this they approach a woman and proclaim "we don't respect dolls who disrespect God"; exactly what sin she was guilty of (aside from being a woman) is not clear. In the climax to the video the makers film an injured cyclist from afar, declaring that the accident must have been brought on by alcohol.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trdJYjXwZ9Q</ref> Another video from the Muslim Patrol shows them [[homophobia|harassing a man who is "dressed like a fag"]],<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5O2-3kwndg&bpctr=1358674017</ref> while another saw them celebrating vandalised bra adverts at bus stops.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20130118025549/http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=beb_1358359911</ref> They also threatened to stab people not complying.<ref>http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/173925#.Vb8NvptREiQ</ref> 

The Commentator blog ran a story on the videos which referred to "Muslim patrols" in the plural.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20130118044431/http://www.thecommentator.com/article/2458/_muslim_patrol_vigilantes_attempt_to_control_london_streets</ref> The ''[[Daily Mail]]'' picked up on the story later on, identifying "a number of men seen shouting 'this is a Muslim area' towards white Britons" in the video footage.<ref>http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2263905/Muslim-patrol-Hooded-vigilantes-walking-streets-London-telling-women-cover-taking-alcohol-hands-revellers-behave-Islamic-way.html</ref>

Incidents such as this are not unprecedented — see the "[[gay free zone]]" stickers put up in parts of London in 2011, or the "[[shariah]] controlled zone" stickers from [[Muslims Against Crusades]] the same year — but what is obscured by reports such as the two above is the small size of the Muslim Patrol. It is hard to say for certain exactly how many people are involved in the videos, as they spend most of their time behind the camera.

In December 2013 three men were jailed for involvement in the group: Jamaal Uddin (born Jordan Horner), Ricardo MacFarlane and a 23-year-old who has not yet been named for legal reasons. Uddin had previously been jailed for six weeks after assaulting a photographer and damaging a car.<ref>http://guardianlv.com/2013/12/muslim-patrol-sent-to-jail-for-enforcing-sharia-law-in-london-streets/</ref><ref>http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/dec/06/muslim-vigilantes-jailed-sharia-law-attacks-london</ref>
Several more patrols continued.

==References==
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[[Category:Homophobia]]
[[Category:Islamic extremism]]
[[Category:Sexism]]
[[Category:YouTube]]

Categories: Homophobia, Islamic extremism, Sexism, YouTube