Vigilante gangs of Islamic extremists have been branded “complete bigots” by fellow Muslims.
Five people, including two teenagers, were arrested after a group calling itself the Muslim Patrol posted footage on YouTube showing a gang hurling abuse at a homosexual man and described white women as “naked animals with no self–respect”.
In a separate incident in the early hours of January 6, vigilantes assaulted a white man in his 20s in what police described as a “hate crime”.
But Muslims have accused the vigilantes of contravening Islamic law rather than enforcing it.
In a sermon at East London Mosque, which was also posted on the video sharing website and has already been viewed 20,000 times in under a week, Shaikh Shams condemned the men in the video for being “complete bigots”.
He said: “When things like this happen Muslims tend to privately voice their opposition.
“But nobody wants to address this perspective from an Islamic or Sharia point of view to simply articulate that this is actually wrong Islamically.”
He added: “Islam was celebrated for allowing [non-Muslim] people who lived in an Islamic state to live according to their principles, their religion, their Sharia.
“This is in the Muslim lands, in the time of the Caliphate. And we saw this video where, in the streets of Tower Hamlets, in the streets of England. Enough said right?”
Police have warned that vigilante gang attacks could escalate into violence and unrest as extremists have vowed to protect “Muslim areas” from those who “disobey God.”
Scotland Yard detectives are investigating a series of incidents and are looking into an assault on a man in his 20s after vigilantes confronted white revellers in Shoreditch, east London.
Police patrols in the area have been stepped up amid fears the incidents could cause unrest.
One clip showed members of an Islamic vigilante group hurling homophobic abuse at a man who was walking by himself in Whitechapel, east London, and telling him to leave their “Muslim area”.
Hooded thugs shout at the man, who appears to be wearing make–up, before one tells him: “Mate, don’t you know this is a Muslim area. What’s wrong with your face?” Another then shouts: “This is a Muslim area. Get out of here. You can’t stay round here any more.”
The same gang apparently uploaded another video called The Truth About Saturday Night, in which white women were described as “naked animals with no self–respect”.
In a statement, the East London Mosque said: “These actions are utterly unacceptable and clearly designed to stoke tensions and sow discord. We wholly condemn them.”