Germany Expels Mohammad Hadi Maftah, Khamenei's Representative at the Islamic Center of Hamburg

Following the rejection of Mohammad Hadi Maftah's request to halt his expulsion from Germany by a German court, the cleric affiliated with the Islamic Republic was expelled from Germany on Wednesday, September 21. After the court denied Maftah's urgent request to stop his expulsion, he left Germany on Tuesday. Andy Grote, a senator from Hamburg, praised the action, calling it 'an important step for the security of the country.' A month after the activities of the Islamic Center of Hamburg were banned in Germany, a spokesperson for the Hamburg Ministry of Internal Security announced on Thursday, September 8, that the expulsion order for Mohammad Hadi Maftah, the head of the center, had been issued and communicated to him. The 57-year-old cleric was given 14 days to leave Germany or face expulsion at his own expense back to Iran. The deadline for leaving Germany was set for September 11, corresponding to September 21. Additionally, it was stated that Maftah would not be allowed to re-enter Germany and that ignoring this order could result in up to three years in prison. Maftah had been the director of the Islamic Center of Hamburg since the summer of 2018. The Islamic Center of Hamburg was described as promoting extremist and totalitarian Islamist ideology in Germany. German police forces raided the Islamic Center of Hamburg early on Wednesday, August 25, and banned its activities along with more than 50 affiliated centers. The German Interior Minister stated that the evidence collected in investigations confirmed 'serious suspicions' that led to the issuance of the ban. Nancy Faeser added that the Islamic Center of Hamburg promotes extremist and totalitarian Islamist ideology in Germany and that its affiliates also support Hezbollah terrorists. According to the ministry, the association managing the Islamic Center of Hamburg, known as the 'Blue Mosque,' violates the constitutional order of the Federal Republic and spreads anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli incitements. The ministry also indicated that representatives of the mosque had previously praised 'violent actions of terrorist organizations like Hamas and supported banned terrorist organizations like Hezbollah.' Nancy Faeser stated that this action was taken due to 'extremism and anti-Jewish incitement.' Reports indicated that related centers in Berlin were also inspected. Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the German ambassador to protest the ban on activities and the closure of the Islamic Center of Hamburg and more than 50 affiliated centers. This center had long been under the scrutiny of the federal government. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution had previously stated that there was evidence indicating that this Islamic center was 'an important propaganda center for Iran in Europe' and 'the arm of the Islamic Republic.' After the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7 of the previous year, the German Bundestag unanimously urged Olaf Scholz's government to 'work to close the Islamic Center of Hamburg.' The state office for the 'Protection of the Constitution' in Germany announced in August of the previous year that the 'Islamic Cultural Center of Frankfurt' and the 'Blue Mosque of Hamburg' were connected to both the 'Islamic Republic' and the 'Muslim Brotherhood' of Egypt and were attempting to spread their radical Islamic ideology. Voice of America previously reported that according to a ruling by the Hamburg Administrative Court, the Islamic Center of the city, also known as the 'Blue Mosque,' was classified as part of 'extremist Islamist organizations.' Hamburg government officials issued an expulsion order to 'Soleiman Mousavi Far,' the deputy head of the 'Islamic Center of Hamburg,' in Khordad 1401, and expelled him from Germany three months later. German officials at that time expressed confidence that Soleiman Mousavi Far supported extremist Shiite militia organizations as well as terrorist organizations. In retaliation, Iranian security forces attacked two branches of the German language institute 'Goethe' in Tehran last week, beating teachers, staff, and visitors and removing the sign of this center, which operated under the German embassy. The Telegram channel Saber 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 permission to resume teaching at the Goethe language institute in Tehran. A 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 Institute, with years of operational experience, offers various German language courses for adults at different levels and conducts official and international language proficiency tests.