Iran-Germany showdown begins over ban on Hamburg’s Islamic Centre, mosques' closure
Police officers are seen in front of the "Blue Mosque", housing the Islamic Centre of Hamburg
The German government on Wednesday (July 24) officially banned the Hamburg-based Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) and its affiliated sub-organisations after accusing the group of promoting the Iranian leadership's ideology and supporting Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group.
The ban coincided with police raids on 53 properties linked with individuals belonging to the now-banned organisations. As a result of the ban, four Shiite mosques in Germany will be closed, and the IZH's assets will be confiscated, according to the interior ministry.
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Affiliated institutions in the federal states of Bremen, Bavaria, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin were also being investigated. The interior ministry said 53 properties were being searched, and four mosques were shut.
The development follows extensive investigations, including searches conducted in November. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said that the gathered material "confirmed the serious suspicions to such a degree that we ordered the ban today."
According to Faeser, the IZH "promotes an Islamist-extremist, totalitarian ideology in Germany" and its affiliates "support the terrorists of Hezbollah and spread aggressive antisemitism."
The interior ministry further alleged that the IZH acts as the direct representative of Iran’s "Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution" in Germany, disseminating "the ideology of the Islamic Revolution in an aggressive and militant way" and seeking to instigate such a revolution within Germany.
Later in the day, Iran's foreign ministry summoned the German ambassador in Tehran over the ban on the Islamic Centre Hamburg (IZH) association, the official IRNA news agency reported.
The IZH, which operates Imam Ali mosque in Hamburg, was under surveillance by Germany's domestic intelligence agency for an extended period.
The Imam Ali Mosque, known locally as the Blue Mosque, is one of Germany's oldest mosques.
In response to the accusations, the IZH earlier said that it "condemns every form of violence and extremism and has always advocated peace, tolerance, and interreligious dialogue."
(With inputs from agencies)