Berlin insists motion towards Islamic Heart Hamburg now not connected to ‘non violent observe of the Shiite faith’.Germany has outlawed a Muslim spiritual organisation it accuses of propagating “extremism” and supporting Iran and Hezbollah.
The Federal Ministry of the Inner and Group introduced the ban at the Islamic Heart Hamburg (IZH) and its nationwide associates on Wednesday, calling its undertaking “anti-constitutional”.
“These days, we banned [IZH], which promotes an Islamist-extremist, totalitarian ideology in Germany,” Inner Minister Nancy Faeser stated in a observation.
“This Islamist ideology is adverse to human dignity, girls’s rights, an unbiased judiciary and our democratic executive.”
She claimed the gang and its “sub-organisations” toughen Hezbollah and “unfold competitive antisemitism”. Germany outlawed the armed Lebanese staff in 2020, designating it as a “terrorist” organisation.
Her ministry additionally alleged the gang acts “because the direct consultant of Iran’s ‘Very best Chief’,” and works within the pursuits of setting up an Islamic revolution in Germany “outdoor of the loose and democratic constitutional machine”.
The ban comes after German government raided 55 houses connected to the gang closing November, all through which police seized subject matter that “unquestionably” confirmed the gang used to be working in a “extremely conspiratorial way”, and seeking to cover its political objectives.
Alternatively, the ministry didn’t describe the proof accrued.
German police raid an Islamic centre in Berlin’s Neukolln district, as a part of an investigation into the Islamic Heart Hamburg, November 16, 2023 [Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters]Because of the ban, 4 Shia Muslim mosques in Germany will likely be shuttered, whilst IZH’s belongings had been confiscated.
Faeser wired that the gang used to be now not focused on spiritual grounds and that Shia Muslims are loose to observe their religion.
“We’re drawing a transparent difference between the Islamist extremists that we’re cracking down on and the various Muslims who belong to our nation and reside in step with their religion,” she stated.
“This ban completely does now not follow to the non violent observe of the Shiite [Shia] faith.”
The IZH, which runs a mosque in Hamburg, has lengthy been underneath remark via Germany’s home intelligence company.
The gang stated forward of closing yr’s raids that it “condemns each and every type of violence and extremism and has all the time advocated peace, tolerance and interreligious discussion”.