Former Head of Islamic Center Hamburg Left Germany Hours After Request to 'Stop Deportation Order'

German officials say that the former head of the Islamic Center Hamburg, whose activities had been banned for 'connections to extremist groups', has left Germany based on an order issued by the responsible authorities. The Ministry of the Interior of Hamburg announced in a statement released on Wednesday, September 21, that Mohammad Hadi Moftah, who headed the Islamic Center Hamburg, left Germany on Tuesday evening. The German news agency reported that Mr. Moftah submitted a petition to contest his deportation order just hours before the deadline for his departure. A court spokesperson told the news agency that the former head of the Islamic Center Hamburg submitted an 'emergency' petition, but this action cannot necessarily lead to the cancellation of his deportation order. Authorities in Germany had ordered Mr. Moftah to leave the country two weeks ago, and otherwise, he would be expelled at his own expense. The deadline for him was set to expire at midnight on Wednesday. The Ministry of the Interior of Hamburg added that Mohammad Hadi Moftah is banned from returning to Germany for 20 years and will face up to three years in prison if he enters the country. Andy Grote, the Minister of the Interior of Hamburg, described Mr. Moftah as one of the 'most important Islamists in Germany' and added, 'We will continue to take firm and strict action against Islamists using all legal measures at our disposal.' According to findings from the Hamburg intelligence agency, officially known as the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Mohammad Hadi Moftah was considered the official representative of Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, in Germany until recently. Authorities in Germany concluded in July that the Islamic Center Hamburg is 'a radical Islamist organization' with ties to the Islamic Republic of Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Following this decision, police raided the center, and its activities were halted. Iranian officials reacted strongly to this decision, and in late August, in retaliation, police forces raided the well-known German language institute 'Goethe' in Tehran, shutting it down. The judiciary of the Islamic Republic also claimed to have received reports of 'violations by other centers linked to Germany' in Iran and that 'investigations' are underway regarding them. The ban on the activities of the Islamic Center Hamburg and the expulsion of its head comes at a time when threats from extremist Islamists in Germany have become a significant and controversial political issue. The latest case of extremist Islamist attacks in German society was a knife attack in the city of Solingen in early September. In this attack, which was carried out by a Syrian refugee and claimed by the group known as the Islamic State (ISIS), three people were killed and eight others injured. This attack intensified heated political debates in German society regarding immigration, particularly concerning Muslim immigration. Nancy Faeser, the German Minister of the Interior, announced on Tuesday that to protect the country from the threats of extremism and illegal immigration, border controls will be implemented for six months. Additionally, the German government has recently announced that it will expedite the deportation process for refugees and migrants who do not have legal residency permits. A week after the deadly attack in Solingen, the German government returned several Afghan nationals who had been convicted of serious crimes in Germany to Afghanistan for the first time since the Taliban regained power.