Germany Bans Hamburg Islamic Center for Extremist Activities

The German Interior Ministry has banned the Islamic Center in Hamburg and its subordinate organizations due to their extremist goals.

Following a court order, authorities conducted searches at 53 locations associated with the organization in eight federal states. In November 2023, similar searches were conducted at 55 addresses linked to the center.

"Today we banned the Islamic Center in Hamburg, which spreads extremist, totalitarian ideology in Germany. This ban does not apply to peaceful followers of the Shiite branch of Islam," said Interior Minister Nancy Faeser.

Founded by Iranian students in the 1950s, the Islamic Center in Hamburg runs Germany's oldest mosque, built in 1961. The Interior Ministry stated that the center's activities promote the revolutionary ideology of the Islamic Republic of Iran.