ISLAMOPHOBIA

Germany shuts down Islamic Center Hamburg

The Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) was under investigation for several months over its alleged support for Lebanon's Hezbollah group which is backed by Iran. Hezbollah is classified as a terrorist group by Germany.

Hamburg's Blue Mosque has connections to the Iranian regime

 Daniel Bockwoldt/dpa/picture alliance

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said on Wednesday that the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) would be banned for propagating extremism and that its famous "Blue Mosque" was being searched by police.

"It is very important to me to make a clear distinction here: we are not acting against a religion," Faeser said, but just against a group accused of undermining the German state as well as women's rights.

The Imam Ali Mosque, known locally as the Blue Mosque, is one of Germany's oldest mosques and is operated by the IZH.

What is the Islamic Center of Hamburg?

The IZH is an organization that is considered an extension of the Iranian regime in Germany and is thought to have a large influence over certain mosques and associations, according to Germany's domestic intelligence services.

The Interior Ministry said Wednesday that the Blue Mosque has ties to the government of Iran and its activities were aimed at spreading Iranian revolutionary ideas.

The Interior Ministry last year said the IZH was suspected of "acting against constitutional order" and of "supporting [the] terror organization Hezbollah."

In 2020, Germany designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization and banned its activities on German soil.

53 properties searched

There had been calls for years from Hamburg residents to investigate the IZH.

Affiliated institutions in the federal states of Bremen, Bavaria, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin were also being investigated. A total of 53 properties were being searched, the ministry said, and a total of four mosques shut.

The IZH is also being probed for "spreading aggressive antisemitism," Faeser added, saying that raids against the group in November established proof of connections to Hezbollah and led to Wednesday's ban.

es/rm (dpa, Reuters)