The Islamic Centre Hamburg (German: Islamisches Zentrum Hamburg, IZH; Persian: مرکز اسلامی هامبورگ, romanized: Mrkez Aslama Hambwrgu), also known as the Blue Mosque (German: Blaue Moschee),[1] was the oldest mosque in Hamburg, Germany, being established in the late 1950s by a group of Iranian emigrants and business people and built in the early 1960s.[citation needed]
Amid investigations regarding its ties with Iran and Hezbollah, the IZH was judged unconstitutional and closed by the German government in July 2024.[2]
History
During a meeting at the Atlantic Hotel in 1953, a group of Iranian residents of Germany discussed the need to establish their own religious center. A letter was sent to the late Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Husayn Borujerdi asking him for help; Borujerdi agreed with the plan and donated RI100,000 to the center.[citation needed]
Construction started once the organization's first director, Ayatollah Mohagheghi, arrived at Hamburg, with the building's cornerstone being laid on 13 February 1961. In 1963, Mohagheghi's return to Iran led to construction being halted. Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti would replace him and remain the organization's head until 1970.[3]
During the 1970s, the centre played a significant role in bringing about the political rising of Iranian students in the West against the Shah and ultimately contributed to the Iranian Revolution.[citation needed]
Controversy and calls for closure
From 1993 until its closing, the Landesamt für Verfassungsschutz der Freien und Hansestadt Hamburg [de] monitored the IZH due to its ideological, organisational, and personal ties to the Iranian government. The IZH repeatedly protested against its monitoring, stating that it was a "purely religious institution that, independent of Tehran, only deals with the religious affairs of Shiite Muslims living in Europe."[1]
On 17 June 2022, IZH deputy director Seyed Soliman Mousavifar received an expulsion order from the Federal Ministry of the Interior after an investigation revealed that he maintained ties with Hezbollah representatives in Lebanon.[4] Mousavifar appealed the decision twice, but was rejected by the Hamburg Administrative Court [de] and left the country in November the same year.[5][6]
During the Mahsa Amini protests, a motion was passed by the Bundestag, which among other things, called on the German government to "examine whether and how the [IZH] can be closed as a hub for the Iranian regime's operations in Germany."[7] More calls for the IZH's closure were made after the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, with Greens member Jennifer Jasberg [de] stating "We do not want to accept that individual actors in our city create a breeding ground for hatred against Israel".[8]
Closure
The centre was raided on 24 July 2024 and closed by order of Germany's interior minister Nancy Faeser, who claimed that it was being used by the Iranian government to "propagate an Islamist, totalitarian ideology".[2][9] Documents provided to Der Spiegel stated that the mosque's director had reportedly received orders from Mehdi Mostafavi,[10][11] former advisor to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.[12] Several other affiliated Islamic centres were closed down as well, including the Centre for Islamic Culture Frankfurt [de] and the Islamic Centre Berlin.[13]
Soon after the raid, Germany's ambassador to Iran was summoned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[14] The ban was strongly condemned by Iran, with several government agencies accusing the German government of Islamophobia.[15][16] Religious authorities shared similar sentiments, with Qom Seminary administrators claiming that "the move was reminiscent of the racist policies of the Nazi regime" and would "expose the hypocrisy of those claiming to uphold freedom of religion and expression."[17]
