Germany bans Islamic organisation with alleged links to Iran and Hezbollah

Germany has outlawed a Muslim religious organisation it accuses of propagating “extremism” and supporting Iran and Hezbollah.

The Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community announced the ban on the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) and its national affiliates on Wednesday, calling its mission “anti-constitutional”. “Today, we banned [IZH], which promotes an Islamist-extremist, totalitarian ideology in Germany,” Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in a statement.

“This Islamist ideology is opposed to human dignity, women’s rights, an independent judiciary and our democratic government.”

She claimed the group and its “sub-organisations” support Hezbollah and “spread aggressive antisemitism”. Germany outlawed the armed Lebanese group in 2020, designating it as a “terrorist” organisation.

Her ministry also alleged the group acts “as the direct representative of Iran’s ‘Supreme Leader’,” and works in the interests of establishing an Islamic revolution in Germany “outside of the free and democratic constitutional system”.

The ban comes after German authorities raided 55 properties linked to the group last November, during which police seized material that “undoubtedly” showed the group was operating in a “highly conspiratorial manner”, and trying to conceal its political aims.

However, the ministry did not describe the evidence collected. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/24/germany-bans-muslim-group-citing-extremism-ties-to-iran-and-hezbollah