The Prinzenwald Islamic Center has been prohibited by Brandenburg.
Brandenburg cracks down on Islamic extremist propaganda. Minister Stübgen shuts down the Islamic Center Fürstenwalde. The organization was labeled as firmly extremist by the authorities last year. Their facilities are now being inspected.
Brandenburg's Interior Minister Michael Stübgen has officially banned the Islamic Center Fürstenwalde al-Salam. The association promotes intolerance towards interfaith harmony and the constitutional framework, as stated by the ministry. It is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and the terrorist group Hamas, as reported initially by "Bild" newspaper.
The ban will be implemented by law enforcement agencies. For instance, the association's premises in Fürstenwalde and personal residences in Brandenburg and Berlin are being searched.
"We can't tolerate organizations opposing our constitutional order or the concept of interfaith harmony," said Stübgen, as stated by the ministry. "Nesting grounds of the primitive Islamist culture of extremism" must be dealt with promptly to prevent it from spiraling out of control.
Stübgen: "Tackle the problem at its source"
The minister further emphasized that the organized indoctrination of young people with extremist ideologies poses significant risks. They don't radicalize in isolation, but it's due to "deceptive radicalization tactics by extremist organizations." "This menace needs to be addressed at its root," Stübgen stated. The minister had announced his intentions to act against the organization months ago. In the winter of the previous year, Stübgen called for an immediate ban of Hamas in Germany. Only then could action be taken against the association, he argued at the time.
The association was inaugurated in 2018 at Fürstenwalde and runs the al-Salam mosque there. The Islamic Center Fürstenwalde provides Friday sermons and a wide range of services for Muslims from the region. In July 2023, the Brandenburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution declared the association as a firmly extremist initiative. At that time, Stübgen said, "The association works against the liberal democratic constitutional order, propagates anti-Semitic tales, and disputes the existence of Israel. We cannot tolerate this."
As per assessments by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the association's extremist agenda is evident in their events and public demonstrations. Social media posts hint towards Islamist extremist organizations. For example, the association shared content from Islamist-leaning Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated organizations on its social media platforms. Furthermore, according to the constitutional guardians, anti-Semitic content is disseminated that challenges the existence of Israel.
The Islamic Center Fürstenwalde, which is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and the terrorist group Hamas, has been officially banned by Brandenburg's Interior Minister Michael Stübgen due to promoting intolerance and opposing interfaith harmony and the constitutional framework. The association's premises and personal residences are currently being searched by law enforcement agencies.
The ban on the Islamic Center Fürstenwalde is a response to the minister's concerns about organized indoctrination of young people with extremist ideologies and the need to address this menace at its root, as Stübgen had previously announced his intentions to act against the organization.
