In late 2017 US president Donald Trump alleged that certain areas of London were 'no-go' zones due to the sheer number of Islamic extremists living, working and, presumably, extremisting in them.
One such place that has received unwanted attention is Tower Hamlets. One of London's poorest boroughs, it has been the subject of online rumour about levels of Islamic extremism.
For that reason, Dan Kaszeta, a dual-national (US/UK) security expert took to the streets of the borough, claiming to have been told by 'trolls' that Tower Hamlets is 'completely a Sharia-ruled Muslim No-Go Zone'. Here's what he found.
One of Kaszeta's earliest discoveries was a Carluccio's. The Italian restaurant chain serves a number of pasta and pizza dishes, including Olive All'Ascolana, which contains pork. Pork is banned in the Islamic and Jewish faiths, and in Sharia law-ruled countries the purchase or consumption of it is met with severe punishment.
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Carluccio's also serves Peroni beer, Bellinis and wine, all of which contain alcohol, which is banned under Sharia Law.
Kaszeta found no evidence of anyone in or near Carluccio's being punished for their purchases.
On that note, he also papped a beer delivery van going about its business.
Another common trope among alt-righters with regards to areas such as Tower Hamlets is that strict Sharia control means police are afraid to go into them.
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Kaszeta's photo (below) seems to show a police van unattended, but also free of vandalism or any other interference.
Other Kaszeta discoveries included a Michelin-star restaurant (serving booze), a pub (kind of goes without saying) and this:
That's a Christian church. In societies where strict Sharia laws are enforced, Christian churches (and Christianity) generally are kind of a no-no. From the looks of it though, that church has been there a while, which would suggest it continues to be a yes-yes, and definitely not the sort of building you'd find in a Sharia Law operated borough of London.
Topics: Social Media, Twitter, London
