Extended arm of Iran - Minister Interior Faeser prohibits Islamic Center Hamburg
Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) has, according to stern's information, banned the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH). The institution is considered an extended arm of the Iranian regime and is labeled as Islamist by the Constitutional Protection. In the early hours of Wednesday, police began searching the Imam-Ali Mosque in Hamburg, also known as the "Blue Mosque," where the IZH is headquartered – at one of the city's most prominent addresses. An official confirmation of the ban from the Federal Ministry of the Interior was initially lacking.
Constitutional Protection views Islamic Center Hamburg as an important propaganda tool for Iran
The IZH has been under observation by the Constitutional Protection since 1993, but its leaders have been able to operate relatively unhindered until now. The Hamburg Constitutional Protection describes the IZH in its most recent annual report as "a significant instrument of the Teheran regime for the establishment of an antidemocratic and antisemitic orientation of Shia Islam, modeled after the Iranian state ideology, within Europe."
The current head of the IZH, Mohammad Hadi Mofatteh, is considered a representative of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Europe. He had previously told the Hamburg Morgenpost that he was not concerned about a ban on his association. "There is no reason for such a step," he said. The Federal Ministry of the Interior sees it differently.
IZH is to exert influence on other associations and mosques
The IZH is one of the most important centers of its kind in Europe, frequented by Shia Muslims of various nationalities as a central religious point of contact. It is also believed to have a strong influence on other Shia mosques and associations in Germany.
At the end of 2022, the IZH came under national attention when the Iranian regime suppressed the protests in the country with great brutality following the death of the student Mahsa Amini in police custody. The Red-Green factions had then submitted a motion in the Bundestag to close the IZH.
In November of the previous year, Federal Minister of the Interior Faeser had searched the IZH and related institutions in Germany with over 800 officers. It appears that sufficient evidence was found to enforce the long-demanded ban on the IZH.
Only recently, the far-right magazine "Compact" was banned by the Federal Ministry of the Interior. The decision was controversially discussed.
- Despite the controversial discussion following the ban of the far-right magazine "Compact," Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser has reportedly taken a similar action against the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH).
- The IZH, known as an important instrumental tool for the Iranian regime's propagation, has been under observation by Germany's Constitutional Protection since 1993.
- The ban on the IZH comes after the center was found to exert significant influence on other Shia mosques and associations in Germany.
- News headlines have recently highlighted the search of the Imam-Ali Mosque in Hamburg, also known as the "Blue Mosque," where the IZH is headquartered, as part of the Ministry's investigations into the center's activities.
