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 militantly undermining the German state as well as women’s rights.
What is the Blue Mosque?
The Imam Ali Mosque, known locally as the Blue Mosque, is one of Germany’s oldest mosques.
It is operated by the IZH, 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 statement on Wednesday said 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.
The IZH is also being probed for “spreading aggressive antisemitism,” Faeser added.
es/rm (dpa, Reuters)
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