Extremist Islamic Association - Behrens: IZH-ban weaks schiaopher-Islamist scene
The ban on the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) according to Lower Saxony Interior Minister Daniela Behrens weakens the local pro-Iranian scene. The IZH was of central importance for the Shia-Islamist influenced scene in Germany, as the SPD politician stated in a press release.
Behrens called the ban an appropriate consequence of the search warrant operations in November 2023. "The Federal Interior Minister is showing clear determination here." With the prohibition proceedings of the past weeks and months at the federal and state levels, the rule of law demonstrates its effectiveness and readiness to defend itself.
Search warrants in eight federal states
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) has banned the actively Islamic association operating at the federal level. According to the constitutional protection, it is a "significant propaganda center for Iran in Europe". Police searched the IZH with the Imam Ali Mosque and other buildings in a total of eight federal states in the early morning. Raids and seizures in connection with the ban were reported in Hamburg, Bremen, Berlin, Niedersachsen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Hessen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, and Bavaria. Among the 53 objects, there were mosques, association rooms, private residences, and bank accounts.
Law enforcement agencies seized propaganda material
In Niedersachsen, searches and seizures were carried out in a building in Stelle in the Landkreis Harburg, three objects in Delmenhorst, and an object in Wildeshausen in the Landkreis Oldenburg.
The law enforcement agencies seized digital material and propaganda material for the Interior Ministry in Hannover, according to a statement. No arrests were made. Mosques were not affected by the searches. "Niedersachsen welcomes the ban against the IZH and its affiliated organizations," it was stated.
The Bremen Interior Department confirmed in response to an inquiry that a publishing house in Bremen had been searched. The spokeswoman did not want to make further statements and referred to the Federal Interior Ministry.
This ministry stated that the IZH acts as a direct representation of the Iranian "Revolutionary Leader" in aggressively militant ways, spreading the ideology of the so-called "Islamic Revolution" in Germany. "It is important to me to clearly distinguish: We are not acting against a religion," emphasized Federal Interior Minister Faeser. Peaceful Shia religious practice and worship is explicitly not affected by the ban.
- Daniela Behrens, the Lower Saxony Interior Minister, expressed her support for the ban on the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH), stating its significance in strengthening the local pro-Iranian scene.
- The IZH, identified as a significant propaganda center for Iran in Europe by the constitutional protection, had operations in eight federal states, including Hannover and Bremen.
- The searches and seizures conducted in Niedersachsen led to the acquisition of digital and propaganda material for the Interior Ministry in Hannover, but no arrests were made.
- The Bremen Interior Department confirmed that a publishing house in Bremen was searched in relation to the IZH ban, but refused to provide further details, deferring to the Federal Interior Ministry.
- Nancy Faeser, the Federal Interior Minister, reiterated that the ban on the IZH is not against a religion, but rather aimed at addressing its aggressive militant representation of Iran's revolutionary leader and the promotion of the "Islamic Revolution" in Germany.
- The SDP politician Behrens praised Faeser's determination, stating that the rule of law demonstrates its effectiveness and readiness to defend itself against extremism in Europe.
- The ban on the IZH has wider implications for Germany, as it sends a strong message that the country will not tolerate organizations that promote extremist ideologies and threaten its democratic principles, as reflected in the policies of both federal and state governments.
