By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
TEHRAN/BERLIN (Worthy News) – Tehran has condemned a decision by the German government to ban an Iran-linked Islamic group over “extremism” and to close one of Germany’s oldest mosques.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the German ambassador over the ban, Worthy News learned from several sources on Thursday.
On the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, the ministry called the ban “an example of Islamophobia” and a violation of freedom of expression.
Asked about the summoning of the ambassador, a German Foreign Ministry official said it was up to Iran to move toward improving ties.
The Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) had been under investigation for several months over its alleged support for Lebanon’s Hezbollah group, which Iran backs.
Hezbollah has been classified as a “terrorist” group by Germany and several of the country’s allies, including Israel and the United States.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said that IZH was banned for propagating extremism and that its famous “Blue Mosque” was being searched by police.
‘NOT ANTI-RELIGION’
“It is very important to me to make a clear distinction here: we are not acting against a religion,” Faeser stressed, adding it was aimed at a group accused of undermining the German state as well as women’s rights.
German sources said the Imam Ali Mosque, known locally as the Blue Mosque, is one of Germany’s oldest mosques and is operated by the IZH.
It comes amid broader concerns about Islamic extremism and related antisemitism in Germany, which has seen an influx of migrants from mainly Islamic countries.
IZH is considered an extension of Iran’s Islamic leadership and is thought to have a “significant influence” over certain mosques and associations, said Germany’s domestic intelligence services.
The IZH is being probed for “spreading aggressive antisemitism,” Faeser explained, adding that raids against the group in November established proof of connections to Hezbollah and led to this week’s ban.
In a statement, the Interior Ministry said that it “banned the Hamburg Islamic Centre and its affiliated organizations throughout Germany to date, as it is an Islamist extremist organization pursuing anti-constitutional objectives.”
The ministry accused the IZH of spreading Iranian revolutionary ideas and spreading those ideas “in an aggressive and militant manner.”
HAMBURG RESIDENTS CONCERNED
There had been calls from concerned Hamburg residents for years to investigate the IZH, Worthy News learned.
Affiliated institutions in the federal states of Bremen, Bavaria, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Berlin were also being investigated.
The ministry said 53 properties were being searched, and four mosques were shut.
Germany’s Interior Ministry last year said the IZH was suspected of “acting against constitutional order” and of “supporting [the] terror organization Hezbollah.”
In 2020, Germany designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization and banned its activities on German soil.
With further investigations ongoing in Europe’s largest economy, German police vehicles were seen outside the Blue Mosque in Hamburg, and more raids were expected despite Iran’s opposition.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
The Israel Defense Forces has destroyed roughly 60% of Hezbollah terror infrastructure in Lebanese villages where Israeli forces are operating in southern Lebanon, a senior Northern Command officer told Walla on Monday.
A Wall Street Journal exclusive is drawing renewed attention to the imprisonment of Pastor Ezra Jin, the founder of Beijing’s Zion Church, whose arrest has become a flashpoint in China’s intensifying campaign against unregistered Christian congregations.
President Donald Trump is weighing whether to restrict a multibillion-dollar arms package for Taiwan after his two-day visit to China, a move that could mark a significant shift in Washington’s long-standing security posture toward the island democracy.
TrumpRx is expanding to about seven times its current size, adding more than 600 generic prescription drugs to the months-old direct-to-consumer government website, the president said Monday.
Pakistan has deployed about 8,000 troops, a squadron of fighter jets, drones, and an air defense system to Saudi Arabia under a confidential mutual defense pact, according to an exclusive Reuters report.
President Donald Trump said Monday that he has called off a planned U.S. military strike against Iran that had been scheduled for Tuesday, citing urgent requests from Gulf leaders and what he described as “serious negotiations” aimed at reaching a deal with Tehran.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israeli forces now control roughly 60% of the Gaza Strip, marking a significant expansion of Israel’s security hold inside the enclave months after the U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect.