- Another association sues for mosque ban
About three weeks after the closure of the Blue Mosque on the Alster, the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH), classified as extremist, has filed a lawsuit against the ban order of the Federal Ministry of the Interior. By closing the Imam-Ali Moschee - the official name - the ministry is depriving the Shia believers who gather there of an important place of worship and hindering them from freely exercising their religion as guaranteed by the Basic Law, the lawyer for the IZH stated. The Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig confirmed the receipt of the lawsuit (6A Z.24).
This is the second lawsuit related to the ban order that has been received by the Federal Administrative Court. Last week, the banned Islamic Cultural Center Frankfurt also filed a lawsuit and an urgent application in Leipzig against the ban.
The IZH representatives described the reason given in the Hamburg ban order, that the association and operator of the mosque is controlled by the Iranian government, pursues unconstitutional goals, and spreads the ideology of the Islamic Revolution in Germany, as "an allegation" that they want to counter with the lawsuit.
Opening the Blue Mosque is the main goal of the lawsuit
However, the main goal is to reopen the Blue Moschee for the believers. "If the Federal Ministry of the Interior is serious and the Shia faith and religious practice are explicitly not affected by the ban on the IZH, there should be no objections to the continued use of the place of worship for religious purposes," the statement said.
At the same time, the IZH representatives criticized that the ministry had rejected offers of dialogue from the association before the ban. "The IZH as an association, as well as the persons affected by the raid, want to continue to cooperate with the authorities," it said.
A "propaganda center of Iran in Europe"
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) banned the IZH on July 24 as a "significant propaganda center of Iran in Europe". Nationwide, the police seized assets and facilities of the center and five associated partial organizations. Since then, the Blue Mosque has also been under federal administration.
In recent weeks, hundreds of believers have gathered in front of the mosque to pray and demonstrate for the reopening of the place of worship.
The IZH views the allegation of being a propaganda center of Iran in Europe as unfounded and seeks to refute it in their lawsuit. The primary objective of the IZH's lawsuit is to regain access to the Blue Moschee for peaceful religious practices, as they believe the ban infringes upon their right to freely exercise their religion.
