Women who do not wear headscarves are being threatened with violence and even death.
Some incidents have been reported that include the placing of stickers on public walls, which state it is a ''gay-free zone'' and the daubing of paint on posters for clothing shops featuring women in bikinis.
In response to such incidents, Ghaffar Hussain, of the anti-extremism Quilliam Foundation, said that the intimidation was the work of ''Talibanesque thugs''.
“This minority think they have the right to impose their fringe interpretation of Islam on others,” the Daily Mail quoted Hussain, as saying.
Police official Paul Rickett said that three men have been charged with religiously-aggravated criminal damage in connection with some of the incidents, which have mirrored crude attempt at censorship in Birmingham.
“I am saddened that there are a small minority of people who do not wish to respect the lifestyle choices of others,” said Rickett. “We work closely with faith leaders in the community, the Tower Hamlets interfaith forum, our partner agencies and the local community to ensure that people feel safe in the borough,” he added.
Firebrand Muslim cleric Anjem Choudary said that he was aware of individuals who would speak up if they saw a Muslim woman without a headscarf, but insisted they were only giving advice about their views of Islam.
''It's an individual intervention to propagate Islam. For non-Muslims, they may point out to them that women are being exploited in the West,” he said.
''It's about telling people about the preference of covering up, but nobody's going to say "you are going to be killed" Choudary said, describing allegations of threats of death as ''completely ridiculous''.
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