Expulsion Order Issued for Director of Hamburg Islamic Center; Mohammad Hadi Moftah Must Leave Germany 'Within 14 Days'

A month after the activities of the Hamburg Islamic Center were banned in Germany, a spokesperson for the Hamburg Ministry of Internal Security announced on Thursday, September 8, that an expulsion order for Mohammad Hadi Moftah, the head of the center, has been issued and communicated to him this week. According to the report, the 57-year-old Moftah has been asked to either leave Germany within 14 days or he will be expelled at his own expense and returned to Iran. His deadline ends on September 11, corresponding to September 21. Additionally, Moftah is not allowed to re-enter Germany or remain in the country, and if he ignores this order, he faces up to three years in prison. Moftah has been the director of the Hamburg Islamic Center since the summer of 2018. The Hamburg Islamic Center is described as promoting extremist and totalitarian Islamist ideology in Germany. German police forces raided the Hamburg Islamic Center and over 50 affiliated centers on Wednesday morning, August 25, declaring their activities banned. The German Interior Minister stated 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 managing the Hamburg Islamic Center, known as the 'Blue Mosque,' violates the constitutional order of the Federal Republic and spreads anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli provocations. Furthermore, representatives of the mosque have previously praised the violent actions of terrorist organizations like Hamas and supported banned terrorist organizations like Hezbollah. Minister Nancy Faeser stated that this action was taken due to 'extremism and anti-Jewish provocations.' Reports indicate that related centers in Berlin were also inspected. Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the German ambassador to protest the ban on activities and closure of the Hamburg Islamic Center and over 50 affiliated centers. This center has long been under scrutiny by 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 in Germany announced last August that the 'Frankfurt Islamic Cultural Center' and the 'Blue Mosque of Hamburg' are connected to both the 'Islamic Republic' and the 'Muslim Brotherhood' of Egypt and are attempting to spread their radical Islamic ideology. Voice of America had previously reported that according to a ruling by the Hamburg Administrative Court, the Islamic Center of this city, also known as the 'Blue Mosque,' has been classified as part of 'extremist Islamist organizations.' Hamburg government officials issued an expulsion order for 'Soleiman Mousavi Far,' the deputy head of the Hamburg Islamic Center, in June 2022, and expelled him from Germany three months later. At that time, German officials expressed confidence that Soleiman Mousavi Far supported extremist Shiite militia organizations as well as terrorist organizations. Retaliation by the Islamic Republic against 'Goethe' Last week, Islamic Republic law enforcement agents attacked two branches of the German language institute 'Goethe' in Tehran, beating and expelling its teachers, staff, and visitors, and removed the sign of this center, which operated under the German embassy. The Telegram channel Saberinews, 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 organ 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 to resume teaching at the Goethe language institute in Tehran. One spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry stated, '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 educational institute, with years of operational experience, offers various German language courses for adults at different levels and conducts official and international language proficiency tests. Report by Sara Damavandian on the protest gathering of Iranians in front of the Hamburg Islamic Center. Germany's efforts to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization. German police inspected the 'Hamburg Islamic Center' and dozens of its affiliated offices. The government of Hesse declared the Frankfurt Islamic Center a threat to Germany's 'national security.' The Hamburg Administrative Court confirmed the classification of the center as an extremist Islamic organization. The Secular Islam Association of Germany called for a halt to cooperation with the Central Council of Muslims.