German Court Categorizes Islamic Center as ‘Extremist Islamic Organization’
Acting on an objection and complaint lodged by the Islamic Center against action by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution of Germany, the Administrative Court of Hamburg on Friday upheld the categorization of the center's activities as "Islamic extremism."
In both 2018 and 2019, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution identified activities of the Blue Mosque as falling under the classification of "extremist Islamist organizations."
After conducting two oral hearings in April and May of this year, the Administrative Court of Hamburg issued its written verdict addressing the complaint filed by the Islamic Center. The court's ruling acknowledges a partial acceptance of the plaintiffs' complaint, leading to the prohibition of publishing specific sections of the report by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
However, the Islamic Center's challenge regarding the categorization of the "Blue Mosque" as an "extremist Islamic organization" was unsuccessful, as the court deemed that aspect legally valid and unobjectionable.
As per the report released by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution of Germany, the "Blue Mosque" supporting association has been classified as an extremist Islamic organization that actively "pursues anti-constitutional objectives."
The complete text of the verdict has yet to be made public and all parties involved in the case still can file an appeal.
In a recent letter addressed to Nancy Faeser, the minister of the Interior of Germany, the Secular Islamic Association has called for the immediate cessation of cooperation with the Central Council of Muslims.
The Secular Islamic Association has cited the Islamic Center of Hamburg membership, classified as an "extremist center" by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, as the reason behind its request for the immediate termination of cooperation with the Central Council of Muslims.
The letter said the Islamic Center of Hamburg is also engaged in disseminating anti-Semitism, promoting the ideology of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and conducting surveillance on Iranian citizens in exile.
According to the German newspaper Die Welt and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the Islamic Center of Hamburg is recognized as a representative of an Islamic regime that contradicts the constitution's values.
The Office for the Protection of the Constitution considers the Islamic Center of Hamburg responsible for managing the Imam Ali Mosque in the Alster area, as a hub for the Iranian government in Europe. It has been under surveillance for several decades.
Last November, Hamburg's local authorities expelled Seyed Soleiman Mosavi-Far, the deputy of the Islamic Center, accusing him of close affiliations with terrorist organizations.
Among the accusations against Mosavi-Far were his support of extremist and terrorist Shia organizations and his sharing of promotional videos on Facebook for the same purpose.
German authorities alleged that in addition to his involvement and support for extremist and terrorist Shia organizations, Mosavi-Far had connections with two organizations engaged in financial assistance, which were found to have links to representatives of Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Mosavi-Far was allegedly actively involved in sharing promotional videos and photos of Hezbollah on Facebook and he paid tribute to the casualties of the organization on the platform.
Despite a court order to leave Germany, Mosavi-Far, using his children's education as a reason, remained in the country until the last moment but ultimately returned to Iran.