Germany banned the organization, accusing it of being an “outpost” of the Iranian theocracy, which it accuses of promoting Islamist extremism and supporting Lebanon’s Hezbollah group.
The ban on the Islamic Center of Hamburg was also applied to five other locations, comes after various records carried out in November, in which police entered 53 properties throughout the country.
The Islamic Center argued last fall that “condemns all forms of violence and extremism and has always advocated peace, tolerance and interreligious dialogue.
Iran’s second representative in Germany
The Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeserassures in a statement that “investigations have confirmed without a doubt that The Center’s activities are not simply religious in nature“.
The organization had previously been investigated by the Internal Intelligence agency. He concluded that the Islamic Center is Iran’s most important representative in Germanyafter the country’s embassy.
The Minister of the Interior had previously reiterated that they were acting against the islamistsnot against a religion nor against another State.
Additional sources • Enrique Barrueco (Voice-over)
