Summary: The German government has closed the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH), citing its affiliations with Iran and Hezbollah and its role in promoting radical Islamism. The closure follows a court order and an extensive investigation by German authorities.
Details: The German Interior Ministry announced the shutdown of the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) on July 24, 2024, due to its connections with Iran and Hezbollah and its promotion of extremist Islamist ideologies. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser emphasized that the IZH was disseminating a totalitarian ideology, supporting Hezbollah terrorists, and propagating aggressive antisemitism. The ministry also highlighted that the IZH acts as a representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader, spreading the ideology of the Islamic Revolution in a militant manner within Germany.
Search and Investigation
Authorities have commenced searches across 53 properties linked to the IZH in eight federal states. This follows previous raids in November 2023, where 55 IZH properties were searched across seven federal states. Evidence gathered from these investigations formed the basis for the center’s closure.
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Expert Opinions
Behnam Ben Taleblu, a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), remarked, “The Islamic Republic’s ambition to export its revolution is evident through its radical ideological dissemination and infiltration efforts, spanning from Germany to Argentina and closer regions like Iraq and Syria. Shutting down the Islamic Center in Hamburg is a significant move against this extensive network.”
Saeed Ghasseminejad, FDD’s Senior Iran and Financial Economics Advisor, added, “Since its foundation, Tehran’s Islamist regime has dedicated substantial resources to establishing global networks disguised as cultural centers and mosques. This aligns with their asymmetric warfare strategy to spread terror and chaos. In the U.S., the regime exploits legal protections and religious freedoms to infiltrate and establish influence. It’s crucial for Washington to address these networks, beginning domestically and expanding across the Americas.”
Historical Context
Iran has a long history of advancing its Islamist agenda in Germany. In 1992, Iranian agents assassinated three dissidents and their translator in Berlin. More recently, in 2023, a German-Iranian man was sentenced for plotting an attack on a synagogue with Iranian support. Additionally, Jamshid Sharmahd, a German-Iranian national, remains on death row in Iran on what are considered false charges. In April 2024, Germany advised its citizens to leave Iran due to the risk of arbitrary detention. In July 2024, a Lebanese man was arrested in Germany for allegedly attempting to procure drone parts for Hezbollah.
Conclusion
The closure of the Islamic Center Hamburg marks a critical step by Germany in addressing extremist ideologies and their spread within its borders. This action underscores the ongoing vigilance required to counteract the influence of foreign extremist networks and their agendas.