Illegal posters declare Shariah Law zones in London

Islamic extremists have put up posters in an east London borough declaring it a “Sharia controlled zone”.

The posters boldly claim: “You are entering a Sharia controlled zone. Islamic rules enforced.”

Underneath are images indicating that smoking, alcohol and music are banned.

Islamist

The posters are understood to have been discovered in the borough of Tower Hamlets last week, and they are identical to ones found in the boroughs of Waltham Forest and Newham.

A police spokeswoman said: “Officers are working closely with the local authority to have the posters removed as soon as possible.”

Tower Hamlets council said: “The posters have been brought to our attention and with our partners, we have been removing them as and when they have appeared, and will continue to monitor the situation.”

Stop

The posters come as a Bill in the House of Lords seeks to stop Sharia law taking root as a parallel legal system.

The Arbitration and Mediation Services (Equality) Bill, introduced by Baroness Cox, would make it a crime for Sharia courts to falsely claim legal jurisdiction.

It would also protect Muslim women from sex discrimination at the hands of Sharia courts.

Unequally

Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, who grew up in Pakistan and is the former Bishop of Rochester, is backing the Bill.

He said: “The problem with Sharia is that it is inherently unequal for certain kinds of people.”