Germany Orders the Expulsion of Mohammad-Hadi Moftah, Former Head of the Islamic Center of Hamburg

Five weeks after the prohibition of the Islamic Center of Hamburg, classified as an extremist organization, the Ministry of the Interior of Hamburg has ordered the expulsion of its former head. A spokesperson for the ministry stated on Thursday, September 8, that the expulsion order for 57-year-old Mohammad-Hadi Moftah was issued this week. The spokesperson did not provide information on whether the Iranian national is still in Germany. According to the German news agency, the Hamburg Ministry of the Interior has instructed Mr. Moftah to leave the country within 14 days, or he will be deported to Iran at his own expense. Local officials stated that the former head of the Islamic Center of Hamburg must leave Germany by September 11. Additionally, his re-entry into Germany or residence in the country has been prohibited. If Mr. Moftah violates this order, he faces up to three years in prison. He has been the head of the Islamic Center of Hamburg since the summer of 2018. The German government previously shut down the Islamic Center in Hamburg. According to findings from the Hamburg intelligence agency, officially known as the Federal 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. Andy Grote, a senator from Hamburg, stated that Mr. Moftah's expulsion is a continuation of the ban on the Islamic Center's activities. He added: 'As the highest religious representative of the inhumane regime in Tehran, his time in Germany is over. We will continue to fight Islamic extremism with all our power and will use all legal residency tools for this purpose.' Previously, Soleiman Mousavifar, the deputy of the Islamic Center of Hamburg, was expelled from Germany in late 2022 on charges of connections with the Hezbollah militia. Hezbollah's activities have been banned in Germany since 2020. Nancy Faeser, the German Minister of the Interior, announced the ban on the Islamic Center's activities on July 24, calling it 'an important propaganda center for Iran in Europe.' The Ministry of the Interior stated that the association and the trustees of the Islamic Center of Hamburg operate under the Iranian government and pursue goals contrary to the German constitution and the spread of the ideology of the Islamic Revolution in the country. Representatives of the center called the ministry's arguments 'claims' and stated that they intend to file a lawsuit against it. The German news agency adds that the police confiscated assets belonging to the Islamic Center of Hamburg and five related subsidiary organizations across the country in July. Since then, the Blue Mosque in Hamburg has also been operated under federal government supervision. In response to Berlin's actions, agents of the Islamic Republic's police raided the German language institute known as 'Goethe' in Tehran on August 21, sealing it off. Germany summoned the Iranian ambassador in response. The judiciary-affiliated news agency, Mizan, announced that 'two branches of illegal centers affiliated with the German government, which had committed numerous illegal acts and extensive financial violations in violation of the country's laws, were shut down by judicial order.'