Extremist Islamic Association - Why is the Islamic Center banned
The Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) and several associated organizations must cease their activities. Searches were conducted on Wednesday, 53 buildings and bank accounts nationwide. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) explained the reasons for her decision to ban the Hamburg Mosque Association and other Shia-Islamist organizations. Here are the most important questions and answers:
Why is the ban necessary?
The IZH is, according to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, a Shia-Islamist association. It is therefore focused on spreading the Islamic teachings in line with the religious understanding of the Iranian leadership. The Federal Office considers the IZH, in addition to the 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 investigate "whether and how the Islamic Center Hamburg can be closed as a hub of operations by the Iranian regime in Germany."
Vereinsbans occur when their purposes or activities conflict with criminal law, contradict the idea of international understanding, or violate constitutional order. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, all three reasons apply to the IZH.
Why did the decision come now?
Separating religious practice from extremist activities in a religious association is not straightforward. 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, also known as the Blue Mosque, and five other organizations were searched. Seized materials provided sufficient evidence to justify the ban, according to the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
The calls for a ban grew louder after the brutal suppression of mass protests in Iran in 2022. The timing could also be related to the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, where the Iranian leadership has taken a vocal and armed stance against Israel. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution reported in its 2023 report: "Antisemitic and anti-Israeli attitudes are frequently discernible within Shia-extremist circles and are propagated in various media channels."
Why did Faeser take so long to make the decision, asked the innenpolitischer Sprecher of the Union fraction, Alexander Throm. After all, it has been known for a long time that the IZH is the extended arm of the Islamic regime in Germany.
Since August 2018, Mohammad Hadi Mofatteh has been the Director of IZH. According to the Hamburg State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, he is considered a representative of the Iranian Supreme Leader in Europe. In the latest Hamburg Constitution Protection Report, it states about him: "Mofatteh is a well-educated representative of the current regime in Tehran. His family is deeply embedded in the state-religious elite of Iran". He is reporting-obligated and order-bound to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and documents were found in previous searches that clearly demonstrate this close connection.
At the end of 2022, the deputy leader of IZH, Seyed Mousavifar, was expelled from Germany due to connections to the Lebanese Hezbollah militia. Previously, he had failed in a complaint against the expulsion before the Hamburg Administrative Court in the second instance. The pro-Iranian terrorist organization has been prohibited in Germany since 2020.
What is happening now with the seized association assets?
The association assets will, if the ban becomes legally binding, go into the possession of the Federal Government. However, the question of what the German state should do with a representative Islamic sacred building like the Blue Mosque is not quite simple to answer.
In the Hamburg Senate, which had called for the closure of IZH across party lines, the call has already been loud for the mosque to be used as a place of worship for Shia Muslims. However, the influence of Tehran on the institution must be excluded.
How many followers does the IZH have in Germany?
The Constitution Protection has not made reliable statements on this so far. Not everyone who attends an event or prays in the Blue Mosque can therefore be counted as a member of the association. In addition, many people of Iranian origin, who live in Germany, are determined opponents of Islamic ideology.
According to a calculation by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, there were between 5.3 and 5.6 million Muslim religious adherents with a migration background in Germany in 2020. The Sunnis are among them, as they are among the Muslims worldwide, the largest group.
The two major streams, Sunnis and Shias, originated from the conflict over the legitimate succession of Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam.
The Hamburg Mosque Association, as part of the Shia-Islamist organizations, is perceived as spreading Islamic teachings aligned with the Iranian leadership's religious understanding by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. The Federal Ministry of the Interior identified three reasons for banning the association, citing conflicts with criminal law, contradictions to international understanding, and violations of the constitutional order.
The decision to ban the association was prompted by evidence uncovered during a search conducted on November 16, 2023, at the Imam-Ali Mosque and five other organizations in Hamburg. The seized materials provided sufficient evidence of the association's activities contrary to German law.
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution reported increased antisemitic and anti-Israeli attitudes within Shia-extremist circles in its 2023 report, which could have contributed to the timing of the ban decision.
Several Union fraction members, including the innенpolitischer Sprecher, Alexander Throm, questioned why Interior Minister Nancy Faeser took so long to make the decision despite knowing for a long time about the IZH's connection to the Iranian regime in Germany.
Mohammad Hadi Mofatteh, the Director of the Islamic Center Hamburg since August 2018, is considered a representative of the Iranian Supreme Leader in Europe, according to the Hamburg State Office for the Protection of the Constitution. He is reporting-obligated and order-bound to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
After the expulsion of Seyed Mousavifar, the deputy leader of the Islamic Center Hamburg, for connections to the Lebanese Hezbollah militia in late 2022, pro-Iranian terrorist organizations have continued to face legal challenges in Germany.
If the ban becomes legally binding, the association assets will go into the possession of the Federal Government. However, the future use of the Blue Mosque, the Islamic Center Hamburg's most notable building, as a Shia Muslim place of worship remains unclear due to concerns about Iranian influence.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior is responsible for intervening in Vereinsbans, which involve organizations whose purposes or activities conflict with criminal law, international understanding, or constitutional order.
Germany is home to a significant Muslim population, with an estimated 5.3 to 5.6 million religious adherents with a migration background in 2020, according to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees. The Sunnis, as the largest group of Muslims worldwide, are among them.
