Germany Bans Hezbollah, Iran-Linked Islamist Group

On Wednesday, the German government outlawed a Hamburg-based group believed to be propagating Iranian ideologies and supporting the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. This decision came after police conducted raids on 53 sites across Germany. The action against the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH), along with its various branches, was taken following initial searches in November that confirmed serious allegations against them, according to Interior Minister Nancy Faeser.

Faeser highlighted that the IZH was fostering an Islamist-extremist, totalitarian ideology in Germany. She also noted that the organization and its subsidiaries were not only backing Hezbollah but also spreading virulent antisemitism. The ministry pointed out that the IZH acted as the direct emissary of Iran’s Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, aggressively promoting the ideology of the Islamic Revolution and aiming to instigate such a revolution within Germany.

The IZH, which operates a mosque in Hamburg, had been monitored by Germany’s domestic intelligence service for some time. In defense, the IZH had previously declared its condemnation of all forms of violence and extremism, professing its commitment to peace, tolerance, and interfaith dialogue.

As a result of the ban, four Shiite mosques affiliated with the IZH in Germany will be shut down, and the organization’s assets will be seized, as stated by the Interior Ministry.