"Muslim Boys" and crime in London

A criminal gang believes that posing as Muslims is cool:

Teenage criminal gangs in south London are calling themselves the Muslim Boys and claiming to espouse Islam in an attempt to gain street credibility and trade on false perceptions about links to terrorists.

The gangs, who specialise in robbing local drug dealers, are alleged to have forced some members to convert at gunpoint and to pray before going out to commit crimes.

Community leaders are worried about escalating violence and the number of young with access to high-calibre guns.

But Metropolitan police chiefs and Muslim leaders say the youths have no genuine Islamic affiliations, nor any associations with al-Qaida linked groups.

Police chiefs say most belong to existing gangs inspired by black American ghetto culture and are using the Muslim tag because they think it is a new way to strike fear in the community. They also believe it will get them better treatment and nicer food in prison.

Many gang members have access to automatic and semi-automatic weapons and Detective Chief Superintendent John Coles, who heads Operation Trident, the Scotland Yard unit that targets gun crime in the black community, thinks they are responsible for several murders, attempted murders, and a series of robberies in the past few months.

Tarique Ghaffur, the assistant commissioner in charge of the Met's serious crime division, said the issue was causing community tension and Muslims were concerned about intimidation if it was not tackled swiftly.

"My priority is to sort out these thugs and reassure people that we will take a collective approach to ensuring no community is stigmatised," he said.

"I would love to give these thugs an Islamic knowledge test. I doubt many would pass."

Muslim Boys is the name used by between 50 and 100 members of several gangs in neighbourhoods around Brixton, Peckham, Lambeth, and Streatham, in south London. Most are in their late teens or early 20s and belong to gangs such as Peelden, the Stockwell Crew, the SMS (South Man Syndicate) and PDC (Poverty Driven Children).

They talk in slang, much of it derived from black American rap music, place great store on having guns, and live by a code, where showing disrespect to a fellow gang member could be enough to get your head blown off.

The gang leaders are usually childhood friends, brought up in some of London's poorest areas. Some move from house to house on an almost nightly basis, making it hard to keep tabs on them.

Police say the youths are far from organised criminal masterminds. But their shootings and thefts can spark off violent feuds, wreaking havoc in their communities.

"They began using the name Muslim Boys as a macho thing," said Mr Coles. "One or two might have converted to Islam. But it's nothing to do with religion, or terrorism. As far as I'm concerned they're the same thugs, engaged in the same crimes, whatever they can do to make money.

I think that this says a lot about Islam when criminals use it to make themselves look tougher.