Islamic Center - Why is the Islamic Center banned
The Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) and several associated organizations must cease their activities. Nationwide, 54 objects were searched on a Wednesday. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) explained the reasons for her decision to ban the Hamburg Mosque Association and other Shia Islamic organizations. Here are the key questions and answers:
What is the reason for the ban?
The IZH is, according to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, a Shia-Islamist association. The association is therefore focused on spreading the Islamic teachings in line with the religious understanding of the Iranian leadership. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution considers the IZH, along with the Iranian embassy, to be the "most important representative" of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Germany.
In November 2022, the Bundestag urged the federal government to check "whether and how the Islamic Center Hamburg can be closed down as a hub of operations by the Iranian regime in Germany."
Generally, associations are banned when their goals or activities contradict criminal laws, incite hatred against peoples, or violate the constitutional order. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, all three grounds apply to the IZH.
Why was the decision made now?
It is not easy to separate religious practices from extremist activities in a religious association. Mosque associations are rarely banned. An example is the Berlin Fussilet Mosque, which was closed in 2017. It was known as a meeting place for Sunni extremists. The later Berlin Christmas market attacker Anis Amri frequented this mosque.
On November 16, 2023, the Imam-Ali Mosque in Hamburg and five other organizations were searched. Seized material was used to make the decision regarding the ban.
The timing could also be related to the escalation of the Middle East conflict, in which the Iranian leadership has taken a verbal and arms supply stance against Israel. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution wrote in its 2023 report: "Within Shia-extremist circles, a clear antisemitic and anti-Israeli attitude is often discernible, which is also propagated in various media channels."
What functions does the IZH perform?
The IZH and the Blue Mosque on the Alster, run by the IZH, is used as a central religious point of contact by Shia Muslims of various nationalities. Regular prayer events and many religious festivals have taken place there for decades. In addition, various teaching activities are offered there - for example, Islamic religious instruction for children and instruction in the Arabic, Farsi, and German languages.
Who are the key representatives of the association?
Since August 2018, Mohammad Hadi Mofatteh has been the leader of the IZH. According to the Hamburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution, he is considered a representative of the current regime in Tehran. In the latest Hamburg Constitution Protection Report, it says about him: "Mofatteh is a well-educated representative of the current regime in Tehran. His family is deeply rooted in the state-religious elite of Iran." He is accountable and bound by orders from the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei.
At the end of 2022, the deputy leader of the IZH, Seyed Mousavifar, was expelled from Germany due to connections to the Lebanese Hezbollah militia. Previously, he had failed in his appeal against the expulsion before the Hamburg Administrative Court in the second instance. The pro-Iranian terrorist organization has been banned in Germany since 2020.
What is happening now with the seized association's assets?
The association's assets will, once the ban becomes legally binding, pass into the possession of the Federal Government. However, the question of what the German state intends to do with a representative Islamic sacred building to begin with is not quite straightforward.
In the Hamburg Senate, which had called for the closure of the IZH, there have already been calls for the mosque to be made a place of worship for Shia Muslims. However, the influence of Tehran on the establishment must be excluded.
How many supporters does the IZH have in Germany?
The Constitutional Protection Agency has not yet made any definitive statements on this matter. Not everyone who attends an event or prays in the Blue Mosque can therefore be equated with the association. Moreover, many people of Iranian descent living in Germany are determined opponents of Islamic ideology.
The decision to ban the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) and related Shia Islamic organizations was based on their alleged Shia-Islamist association, focusing on propagating Iranian leadership teachings. This was revealed by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which considered the IZH a significant representation of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Germany. In November 2022, the Bundestag urged the federal government to investigate the IZH's potential as a hub for Iranian regime operations in Germany.
The ban was enacted due to the association's goals or activities conflicting with criminal laws, inciting hatred, or threatening the constitutional order, as stated by the Federal Ministry of the Interior. Previously, a Berlin mosque was closed due to Sunni extremist activities.
The IZH is a vital religious contact point for Shia Muslims of various nationalities in Hamburg, hosting prayer events, religious festivals, and teaching activities like Islamic religious instruction and language classes.
Since August 2018, Mohammad Hadi Mofatteh has served as the IZH's leader, considered a representative of the current Iranian regime by the Hamburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution. The deputy leader, Seyed Mousavifar, was expelled in late 2022 due to connections to the Lebanese Hezbollah militia, banned in Germany since 2020.
Upon the ban's legal enforcement, the association's assets will be seized by the German Federal Government. The future use of the representative Islamic sacred building is yet to be determined.
The Constitutional Protection Agency has not disclosed the exact number of IZH supporters in Germany, saying that not all attendees or worshippers at the Blue Mosque can be equated with the association, and many Iranian-descent residents in Germany are opposed to Islamic ideology.
Following the ban, calls have emerged in the Hamburg Senate for the mosque to remain a place of worship for Shia Muslims, but under strict conditions to exclude any influence from Tehran.
