Extensive investigations were conducted today by the German police in seven states for the “Islamic Center of Hamburg” (IZI) and five organizations possibly connected to it, on suspicion of supporting its action Hezbollah.
According to the federal interior ministry, 54 properties were searched in Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia. At the center of the investigation was the Blue Mosque in Ulster, Hamburg, one of the oldest Muslim mosques in Europe, where many Iranian theologians and politicians have served.
“IZI is suspected of having acted in violation of the constitutional order and the idea of international understanding. An investigation is currently underway under the Trade Unions Act. The security authorities are also investigating the suspicion that IZI supports the action of the terrorist organization Hezbollah, which it is banned in Germany. The rest of the investigations concern sub-organizations of IZI,” the Ministry of Interior says in a statement and explains that IZI also acts as a sponsor for “Imam Ali Mosque”, which aims to spread the revolutionary concept of Iran’s top leaders.
“We have the Islamist scene in our sights. Suspicions about IZI are serious. Especially now, at a time when many Jews feel particularly threatened, it is important to be very careful and take tough action. Any reasonable suspicion will be investigated decisively, but we do not act against any religion or other state – only against Islamic extremism,” said Interior Minister Nancy Fezer, as reported by APE-MPE. It should be clarified, he added, whether IZH has created a national structure that sets the political and religious direction for individual local mosques and encourages the anti-Semitic and anti-democratic stance that Iran also espouses in an extreme interpretation of Shiite Islam.
Hamburg’s Home Affairs Senator Andy Grote said earlier today that the authorities had dealt a “hard blow” to the Islamist network: “IZI’s time has come to an end. The sooner it completely disappears from Hamburg, the better, and today we are much closer to it,” he emphasized. IZI has long been monitored by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, while a few weeks ago its activity was also banned in Germany Hamasas well as its supporting network Samidoun.
Recently, the board of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany (ZMD) announced the suspension of membership in the “Islamic Center Hamburg” (IZI), which was raided by the police this morning on suspicion of supporting Hezbollah.
“In light of today’s raid on IZI, the ZMD Board of Directors met this morning and decided to suspend membership of IZI, in accordance with the bylaws.” The ZMD clarifies in its statement that “the presumption of innocence applies and we have complete confidence in our rule of law, however it is in the best interest of all those affected to take this step until the matter is clarified.”
According to the same announcement, “the board of the ZMD has been in talks with the IZH for a long time regarding complaints against it, with the aim of preserving the mosque, which is more than 60 years old, and the long tradition of Shia life in Germany ».
Source: News Beast
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