Ban on Forstenwalde Islamic Center Activities Two Days After Khamenei's Representative Expelled from Germany

The Interior Ministry of Brandenburg, Germany, announced on Thursday, September 13, that the activities of the Forstenwalde Islamic Center have been banned. On Tuesday, September 11, Mohammad Hadi Maftah, Khamenei's representative at the Hamburg Islamic Center, left Germany after his request to halt his expulsion was denied. This center has been accused of having connections with the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, denying Israel's right to exist, and collecting funds for attacks in the Middle East. Relevant officials also state that this group rejects women's equality and does not adhere to the German constitution. According to German media reports, this decision was made after a long period of monitoring the activities of this organization, and security forces raided the center in Oder-Spree as well as several personal homes in Brandenburg and Berlin. The decision to ban the activities of this center is part of broader measures by the German government against Islamic organizations suspected of supporting terrorism. The German Interior Ministry had also banned the activities of the Hamburg Islamic Center in July of this year. It is still unclear whether the Forstenwalde Islamic Center will legally challenge this ban as the Hamburg Islamic Center did. Michael Stübgen, the Interior Minister of Brandenburg, also confirmed these accusations. He stated in the summer of 2023: 'This association denies Israel's right to exist and collects financial support for attacks in the Middle East.' He also emphasized that officials believe 'fundamental rights' are at risk, stating: 'This group does not recognize women's equality and does not respect our constitution. We will not tolerate such behavior.' German news agencies reported on Wednesday, September 12, that following the rejection of Mohammad Hadi Maftah's request from a German court to stop his expulsion, this cleric affiliated with the Islamic Republic was expelled from Germany on Tuesday evening. After the German court rejected Maftah's urgent request to stop his expulsion from the country, he left Germany on Tuesday. Andy Grote, a Hamburg senator, praised this action and referred to it as 'an important step for national security.' A month after the ban on the Hamburg Islamic Center's activities, a spokesperson for the Hamburg Interior Ministry announced on Thursday, September 29, that the expulsion order for Mohammad Hadi Maftah, the head of this center, had been issued and communicated to him that week. Mohammad Hadi Maftah, a 57-year-old cleric affiliated with the Islamic Republic, was asked to either leave Germany within 14 days or he would be expelled at his own expense and returned to Iran. The deadline for him to leave Germany was set for September 11, corresponding to September 21. Furthermore, it was stated that Maftah would not be allowed to re-enter Germany and stay in the country, and if he ignored this order, he would face up to three years in prison. Maftah had been the director of the Hamburg Islamic Center since the summer of 2018. 'The Hamburg Islamic Center promotes extremist and totalitarian Islamist ideology in Germany.' German police forces attacked the Hamburg Islamic Center and more than 50 affiliated centers on the morning of Wednesday, July 25, declaring their activities banned. The German Interior Minister stated in a statement that the evidence collected during investigations 'confirmed serious suspicions to the extent that we issued the ban today.' Nancy Faeser added: 'The Hamburg Islamic Center promotes extremist and totalitarian Islamist ideology in Germany, and its affiliates also support Hezbollah terrorists.' According to this ministry, the association that manages the Hamburg Islamic Center, known as the 'Blue Mosque,' violates the constitutional order of the Federal Republic and spreads anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli incitements. The German Interior Ministry also stated that representatives of the mosque have previously praised 'violent actions of terrorist organizations such as Hamas and supported banned terrorist organizations like Hezbollah.' Minister Nancy Faeser said this action was taken due to 'extremism and anti-Jewish incitements.' Reports indicate that centers affiliated with this organization in Berlin were also inspected. Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the German ambassador to protest the ban and closure of the Hamburg Islamic Center and more than 50 affiliated centers. This center had long been under the scrutiny of the federal government. The German Office for the Protection of the Constitution had previously stated that there is evidence indicating that this Islamic center is 'an important propaganda center for Iran in Europe' and 'the arm of the Islamic Republic.' Following the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7 last year, the German Bundestag unanimously requested the Olaf Scholz government to 'work to close the Hamburg Islamic Center.' The State Office for the Protection of the Constitution announced last August that the 'Frankfurt Islamic Cultural Center' and the 'Blue Mosque of Hamburg' are both connected with the 'Islamic Republic' and the 'Muslim Brotherhood' of Egypt and are working to spread their radical Islamic ideology. Voice of America previously reported that according to a ruling by the Hamburg Administrative Court, the Islamic Center in this city, also known as the 'Blue Mosque,' is classified among 'extremist Islamist organizations.' Hamburg government officials in June 2022 issued an expulsion order for 'Soleiman Mousavi Far,' the deputy head of the 'Hamburg Islamic Center,' and expelled him from Germany three months later. German officials at that time expressed confidence that Soleiman Mousavi Far supported extremist Shia militia organizations and terrorist organizations. Retaliation by the Islamic Republic against 'Goethe.' Last week, Iranian police forces attacked two branches of the German language institute 'Goethe' in Tehran, beating professors, staff, and visitors and removing the sign of this center, which operated under the German embassy. The Telegram channel Saberin News, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, announced that 'this was a reciprocal action for closing cultural and Islamic centers in Germany.' The Mizan news agency, the media outlet of the Iranian judiciary, also referred to the Goethe Institute as 'illegal centers affiliated with the German government' and accused it of 'violating the laws of the country.' Hours after this action, Germany summoned the Iranian ambassador in Berlin. The German Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday that it had summoned the Iranian government ambassador and requested that the Iranian government immediately issue a permit for the resumption of teaching at the Goethe Institute in Tehran. A spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry stated in a statement: 'We condemn the actions of Iranian security officials against the German language institute in Tehran. There is no justification for this action. Language exchange is fundamental to mutual understanding.' The Goethe Institute, with years of operational experience, offers various German language courses for adults at different levels and conducts official and international language proficiency tests.