The Islamic Centre Hamburg (IZH) has been under investigation for several months due to allegations of supporting Lebanon’s Hezbollah group, which is backed by Iran and classified as a terrorist organization by Germany.
On Wednesday, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser announced that the IZH would be shut down for promoting extremism, and the renowned “Blue Mosque” operated by the IZH was being searched by police.
Faeser emphasized that the government’s actions were not directed against any religion but specifically against a group accused of undermining the German state and women’s rights.
The Blue Mosque, officially known as the Imam Ali Mosque, is one of Germany’s oldest mosques and is managed by the IZH.
According to Germany’s domestic intelligence services, the IZH is considered an extension of the Iranian regime in Germany and is believed to have significant influence over various mosques and associations.
The IZH was under scrutiny for “spreading aggressive antisemitism,” and Faeser noted that raids conducted in November provided evidence of connections to Hezbollah, leading to the ban announced on Wednesday.
The Interior Ministry issued a statement declaring that it “banned the Hamburg Islamic Centre and its affiliated organisations throughout Germany to date, as it is an Islamist extremist organisation pursuing anti-constitutional objectives.”
Consequently, four Shiite mosques will be closed. This action is part of a broader effort to combat extremist activities in the country.
The ministry accused the IZH of promoting Iranian revolutionary ideas in an “aggressive and militant manner.” There had been longstanding calls from Hamburg residents to investigate the IZH.
Affiliated institutions in Bremen, Bavaria, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Berlin were also being investigated. The ministry reported that 53 properties were being searched, and four mosques were shut down.
In 2020, Germany designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation and banned its activities on German soil. The Interior Ministry last year suspected the IZH of “acting against constitutional order” and “supporting the terror organization Hezbollah.”
The current investigation and subsequent ban on the IZH reflect Germany’s ongoing efforts to address extremist threats within the country.
Main Image: By Staro1 – de.wikipedia.org (selbst fotografiert), CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4423713
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