RAID IN BLUE MOSQUE: Tehran's propaganda center - Why the IZH in Hamburg has now been banned

RAID ON BLUE MOSQUE: Tehran's propaganda center - Why the IZH has now been banned
In 1953, Iranian merchants founded the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) with the aim of building a mosque. The Blue Mosque, which has been located on the Outer Alster since 1965, is now a listed building and is a popular photo subject. The large prayer hall under the dome has space for 1,500 Shiite believers. Festivals and seminars are held there regularly, which are intended to convey a benevolent image of Islam.
The IZH has been under surveillance by the Hamburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution since 1993 because it is considered an outpost of Tehran and serves as an important Iranian propaganda center in Europe. It provided rooms to Hezbollah and organized the Al-Quds Days, which are directed against the existence of Israel. The head of the IZH is described as loyal to the Iranian revolution. In 2022, the deputy head was expelled because he was found to have links to terrorist organizations. In 2023, the Hamburg Administrative Court confirmed that the center can be described as extremist.
Despite these findings, a ban on the IZH was not easy to enforce because it is an association. Freedom of association is enshrined in Article 9 of the Basic Law and an association may only be banned if it violates criminal law, the constitutional order or international understanding. In 2022, the traffic light factions in the Bundestag pushed through the review of a ban, particularly in the wake of the protests in Iran. In 2023, the Interior Ministry launched an investigation into association law, and in November 2023 a raid took place on the Blue Mosque. The evidence from this raid ultimately led to the ban on the IZH.
The number of Islamists in Hamburg has increased significantly since 2015, from just over 1,000 to 1,840. About 80% of these Islamists are considered by the authorities to be prepared to use violence.
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Video created in 2024