- News code: 1638224
Imam Khomeini through his speeches and messages said that mosques and religious assemblies are Islam’s fortresses against the evil.
Imam Khomeini: Keep the mosques and religious assemblies which are Islam’s fortresses against the evils, vibrant and mobilized, and confront these heartless imperialists wrathfully and loathsomely.
Sahifeh-ye-Imam. V 2. P 470
This is while we draw attention towards a development on Wednesday the German government decision to shut down the Islamic Center of Hamburg and its affiliated organizations across the European country.
The Imam Ali Mosque, known locally as the Blue Mosque, is one of Germany's oldest mosques and is operated by the IZH.
Iran has called in Germany’s ambassador to Tehran to voice protest to the country’s decision to ban the Islamic Center Hamburg.
Tehran also condemned the “hostile action contrary to the fundamental principles of human rights.”
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said following the ban, the ministry’s director-general of Western Europe held a meeting with Hans-udo Muzel, in which the Iranian diplomat voiced Iran’s protest in strong terms.
Germany’s Interior Ministry said on Wednesday it had “banned the Hamburg Islamic Centre and its affiliated organizations throughout Germany to date, as it is an Islamist extremist organization pursuing anti-constitutional objectives.”
The center is accused of supporting Hezbollah, which Berlin designates as a “terrorist” organization, as well as promoting “aggressive anti-Semitism” and spreading “authoritarian, theocratic rule.”
As part of the ban, the ministry said it will also close four Shia mosques, including Hamburg’s Blue Mosque, one of Germany’s oldest mosques.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry official also pointed to the valuable and unforgettable services of Islamic centers, including the Islamic Center of Hamburg, in explaining the teachings of Islam, promoting the principle of dialogue and religious tolerance, and also combating extremism.
“Unfortunately, what happened in Germany today is a clear example of Islamophobia and opposition to the teachings of Abrahamic religions, which of course, on the other side, amounts to dictatorship and deliberate promotion of violence.”
The Iranian diplomat said, “Some currents supporting marked terrorists and advocates of violence and extremism, by making baseless accusations, are seeking to fuel religious and sectarian tensions. The Muslims of Germany and other free thinkers of the world will wisely render this plan doomed.”
The Iranian diplomat warned the German government about the consequences of such destructive actions, emphasizing that this is a clear example of opposing freedom of thought and expression and practically promoting violence and extremism.
In a comprehensive report last year, an independent commission assigned by the German government said Muslims in Germany face racism, hatred and discrimination on a daily basis.
The Independent Group of Experts that worked on hostility towards Muslims for three years provided the report on the racism faced by the Muslim population of Germany, saying Muslims in Germany do not only face racism but are also subjected to daily stereotyping ranging from kindergarten to old age.
