Motor cycle gangs and strict almost extremist religious views are not something most people would automatically pair together. At least in the United States, the most hard-core of groups are often known for illegal activities, free flowing alcohol, and sexual promiscuity. A very different type of gang has formed in many parts of Europe; they are there to push Sharia Laws. In Germany, gangs of Muslim supporters have turned into a violent bike gang to deliver their form of justice.

As a recent report from the German Parliament member Franz Solms-Laubach explains:

“Even if we still refuse to believe it: Parts of Germany are ruled by Islamic law! Polygamy, child marriages, Sharia judges — for far too long the German rule of law has not been enforced. Many politicians dreamed of multiculturalism…. This is not a question of folklore or foreign customs and traditions. It is a question of law and order. If the rule of law fails to establish its authority and demand respect for itself, then it can immediately declare its bankruptcy.”

To maintain this type of take-over, self-appointed bands of “Sharia Police” have taken to the streets of Germany. They are reported to have modeled their bike gang activities and culture after the “Hell’s Angels.”

The group has taken the name “Germanys Muslims” (the possessive apostrophe is not used in German) and has well over 1,000 local German members on Facebook alone. It is based in Mönchengladbach and now has offshoots in Münster and Stuttgart. It was Started by a German national Marcel Kunst. He converted to Islam and now uses the name Mahmud Salam. Their street team approach to pushing Sharia Law was explained in a recent report:

“…urged both Muslim and non-Muslim passersby to attend mosques and to refrain from alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, gambling, music, pornography and prostitution. In November 2016, the Wuppertal District Court ruled that the Islamists did not break German law and were simply exercising their right to free speech. The ruling, which effectively legitimized Sharia law in Germany, was one of a growing number of instances in which German courts are — wittingly or unwittingly — promoting the establishment of a parallel Islamic legal system in the country.”

The fact that German courts have done nothing to stop the bands of “Sharia Police” has only made the group stronger and more active. At first, their activities were described as being acts of vigilance, and they are now larger ignored by law enforcement. Muslim vigilantes are taking over many areas of the country as local governments turn a blind eye.

The local government in many areas is either not interested in addressing the issue or perhaps without the resources needed to tackle the problem. This has left locals with the choice to either live with Sharia Law becoming the law of the land or find their ways to fight back.

Within the well-established biker community in Germany, there have always been issues with rival gangs and turf wars. In response to Germanys Muslims, several rival gangs have put their differences aside to fight against Sharia Law.

In Germany, there is a profoundly radical arm of the Islamic faith that is called Salafist. This is the fastest grown Muslim movement in Germany, and this is what has brought the rival gangs together to fight. Salafist rejects the idea that there is a need to separate church and state, and they are pushing to intertwine Islamic beliefs into all forms of the local government.

Under the name the “Hooligans,” local groups are banding together to start a counter resistance to the Salafist. This means they are concerned enough about the possible violence tied to extreme Sharia Law to fight along side their enemies to take back the local government. On the streets, this has turned into “Hooligans Versus Salafist” or HoGeSa.

While Germanys Muslims have gathered 1,000 supporters via a Facebook group, the HoGeSa had well over 40,000 followers until they were shut down on social media. The group is very open about the need to organize to fight the lack of action on the part of the government to stop the self-appointed “Sharia Police.”