Muslim leaders in Minneapolis are wary of a man who has been patrolling a predominantly Somali neighborhood to enforce the Islamic civil code.
Abdullah Rashid has been telling residents of the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood not to drink, use drugs or interact with the opposite sex, according to his interpretation of Sharia law, the Star Tribune reported Thursday . He's been telling Muslim women to wear a flowing head-to-toe garment called a jilbab.
Police said Rashid has been told he can't patrol the neighborhood's huge Riverside Plaza apartment complex, which is home to many Somalis, or he'll be cited for trespassing. The complex's managers are in the process of evicting him.
Rashid, previously known as Devon James Miller, converted to Islam in 2009. He said he started his group in Georgia in 2013. He married a Somali-American woman
who recently moved from Wyoming to Minneapolis, in 2015. They moved to Cedar-Riverside last year, and he applied for a permit to carry a handgun. But the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office denied his application, saying there was evidence that he'd be a danger to himself and others if allowed to carry a gun. A school district report mentioned he had mental health issues, and his mother said he had been suicidal.http://www.startribune.com/minneapolis- ... 419321224/
