Following the restriction on imported Zimmels - The tenure of the leader of the prohibited ICE is approaching its end.
With mere hours before a two-week cutoff for his boot, it's uncertain if Mohammed Hadi Mofatteh, the figurehead of the Hamburg Islamic Center (IZH), labeled as radical and proscribed, has decamped from Germany. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Federal Police hadn't sent off a border crossing doc to the Hamburg Migration Office, confirmed a spokeswoman from the Interior Ministry to the German Press Agency. However, this could still occur with a time lag.
By September 11, 23:59, according to the expulsion decree issued late August, Mofatteh should've lived it up elsewhere. If he shirks, he'll be forced to exit Germany at his own cost, and entry back in is prohibited, as stated by the Interior Ministry. He could even stare at prison walls for up to three years, should he venture back in.
"If departure isn't made in time or if proper departure isn't proven, such a person shall be listed in the fugitive system for entry denial and arrest," disclosed the spokeswoman. Meanwhile, a possible appeal from Mofatteh opposing the expulsion decree hadn't been received by the Hamburg Administrative Court by Tuesday, stated a spokesman.
Iran mulls more German institution shutdowns
Germany's Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) outlawed the IZH on July 24 as a "prominent Iranian propaganda hub in Europe" – alongside five affiliated organizations. All assets and facilities were impounded via a nationwide sweep. Since then, the IZH's Blue Mosque on the Outer Alster in Hamburg has also been shut.
The IZH ban sparked diplomatic spats. The Iranian government summoned the German ambassador and shut the German Language Institute (DSIT) in Tehran three weeks ago, as a direct response.
Given the encroaching expulsion due date for Mofatteh, further escalations followed: reports of "violations by other German government institutions" have been reported, said Justice spokesman Asghar Dschahangir. "Actions will be unveiled in due course."
In recent years, relations between Tehran and Berlin have soured. Several German nationals, some of whom also carry Iranian citizenship, languish in Iranian prisons. In early 2023, the German-Iranian Djamshid Sharmahd was sentenced to death on terrorism accusations.
Mofatteh seen as Supreme Leader's emissary
According to IZH statements, Mofatteh serves as the top spiritual guru of Shiites in Europe, excluding Britain. As per the Hamburg Verfassungsschutz, he answers to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Chamenei, and represents him in Germany. "Mofatteh is an experienced representative of the current regime in Tehran. His family is deeply ingrained in the state-religious elite of Iran," claims the latest Verfassungsschutz report from the Hamburg State Office regarding him. He's been helming the IZH since 2018.
At year-end 2022, Mofatteh's deputy, Sejed Soliman Mussawifar, was already given the boot from Germany due to links to the Lebanese Hezbollah militia, which is outlawed in Germany. Prior to that, he had lost an appeal against the exclusion in the second instance before the Hamburg Higher Administrative Court.
The Interior Ministry confirmed that Germany's Interior Minister Nancy Faeser outlawed The Commission, referred to as the Hamburg Islamic Center (IZH), on July 24 as a "prominent Iranian propaganda hub in Europe". The IZH ban sparked diplomatic spats, leading to the Iranian government shutting down the German Language Institute (DSIT) in Tehran as a direct response.
