London has experienced significant problems recently with people attempting to enforce Sharia law to non-Muslims. Yesterday, over 60 people protested in London's East End, threatening to give 40 lashes to any shopkeeper that sold alcohol.
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Forty lashes is the punishment for the consumption of alcoholic beverages under Sharia Law.
Protestors warned shop keepers that a punishment of 40 lashes is "just the beginning." The leader of the protestors, Anjem Choudary, was the founder of a group that is now banned in the UK for terrorism connections.
Other British Muslims condemned the protests, saying it was against Sharia Law to enforce its rules upon those who do not want to comply.
“In Islamic teaching, you shouldn’t drink alcohol but you can’t impose Islamic law on other people,” said Usama Hasan, senior researcher at the London-based Quilliam Foundation, whose goal is to challenge extremism and promote pluralism.
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