- Association sues against the ban and closure of the Blue Mosque
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 Mosque - its official name - the ministry is depriving the Shia believers who gather there of an important place of worship and hindering them from exercising their religion freely, 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).
The IZH representatives rejected the grounds given in the ban order, which stated that the association and operator of the mosque was controlled by the Iranian government, pursued unconstitutional goals, and spread the ideology of the Islamic Revolution in Germany, calling it a "slander" that they intended to challenge with the lawsuit.
Reopening the Blue Mosque is the main goal of the lawsuit
The main goal, however, is to reopen the Blue Mosque 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 IZH ban, there should be no objection to the continued use of the place of worship for religious purposes," the statement said.
At the same time, the IZH representatives criticized the ministry for rejecting the association's offers to talk before the ban. "The IZH as an association, as well as the persons affected by the search, want to continue to cooperate with the authorities," it said.
"Propaganda center of Iran in Europe"
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) had banned the IZH on July 24 as a "significant propaganda center of Iran in Europe." Nationwide, the police had seized the center's assets and facilities and five associated sub-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 its reopening.
This is the second lawsuit related to the ban order that has been received by the Federal Administrative Court. Last week, the also-banned Center for Islamic Culture Frankfurt had already filed a lawsuit and an urgent application in Leipzig against the ban.
The IZH strongly disputes being labeled as an 'extremist' association, as they view this characterization as an unwarranted 'slander'. Despite the ban, their main objective in filing this lawsuit is to facilitate the 'reopening of the Blue Mosque' for worshippers, arguing that if their faith and practices are not affected, there should be no objection to its use.
