- Leading Figure of Prohibited Nationwide ICH Forced Out
By September 11th, the head of Hamburg's Islamic Center (IZH), labeled as extremist and consequently outlawed, must exit Germany. This week, the Hamburg Interior Authority issued a removal notice to the 57-year-old Mohammed Hadi Mofatteh, as confirmed by an official spokesperson. If he disregards this, he faces compulsory expulsion to Iran at his own expense.
Rumored to be the most revered spiritual figure of European Shiites, excluding the UK, Mofatteh allegedly reports to and obeys the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and is perceived as his emissary in Germany, according to the Hamburg Constitution Protection Office. Joining IZH in 2018, he has been a fundamental figure within the organization for some time.
The spokesperson did not affirm if Mofatteh has obeyed the removal order. The deadline for departure was the 14th day since the issuance, indicating that the order was likely handed over on Wednesday. If Mofatteh enters once more, he faces imprisonment for up to three years.
The expulsion was not an unexpected turn of events for Mofatteh: five weeks earlier, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser banned his IZH and five additional organizations associated with the center as a significant vehicle for Iranian propaganda in Europe. Following a nationwide seizure of assets and facilities at the end of July, the Blue Mosque overseen by IZH on the Hamburger Alster was also shut down.
Hamburg's Interior Senator Andy Grote (SPD) views the expulsion as a logical consequence. "As the highest religious emissary of the regime in Tehran, his tenure in Germany is completed. We will persistently combat Islamic extremism and use all residency-related means to do so."
In late 2022, the deputy leader of IZH, Sejed Soliman Mussawifar, was also expelled from Germany due to connections to the Lebanese Hezbollah militia. Despite an appeal at the Hamburg Higher Administrative Court in the second instance, he was unsuccessful in stopping the deportation. Since 2020, the pro-Iranian terrorist organization has been prohibited in Germany.
Three legal challenges against the IZH ban at the Federal Administrative Court
Per the ban order issued by the German Interior Ministry, IZH, controlled by Tehran, targets unconstitutional objectives by disseminating the principles of the Islamic Revolution in Germany.
Representatives of the outlawed association denounced this as "an allegation" and initiated a lawsuit. According to a court spokesperson, there are now three lawsuits under consideration at the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig. In addition to the IZH itself, the Islamic Cultural Center Frankfurt, also outlawed, reportedly filed lawsuits, while the Islamic Center Berlin did so earlier.
The primary aim of the lawsuit is to reopen the Blue Mosque for devotees, as stated by IZH representatives. By shutting down the Imam Ali Mosque - its official name - faith-based Shia Muslims who gather there are being deprived of a critical prayer venue, and their religious freedom, guaranteed by the German Constitution, is being impeded.
Devotees have been rallying outside the Blue Mosque during Friday prayers for weeks.
A verdict on the urgent application lodged by the Center for Islamic Culture Frankfurt is not expected until at least late September, as per the court spokesperson. The other trials are expected to carry a longer duration.
The SPD's Hamburg Interior Senator, Andy Grote, supports the expulsion of Mofatteh from Germany, viewing it as a crucial step in combating Islamic extremism. Despite the legal challenges against the ban of the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) at the Federal Administrative Court, the Blue Mosque under IZH's control remains closed, causing frustration among devotees who gather there for Friday prayers.
