Lawsuit Filed against Closure of Imam Ali Mosque in Hamburg
The lawsuit seeks to overturn the German interior ministry’s ban on the center.
The center’s lawyer said by closing the center and its Imam Ali (AS) Mosque, the interior ministry has deprived the Shia faithful that gathered there for prayer of a religious institution and prevented them from freely practicing their religion.
The lawyer said the federal administrative court in Leipzig has confirmed receiving the complaint.
Representatives of the Islamic Center Hamburg have called the accusations made against the center in the ruling that led to its ban unfounded.
The ruling alleges that the center is led by Iran and seeks goals that run counter to the German Constitution.
The German police raided the Islamic Centre Hamburg and 53 of the organization’s premises on July 24. German police say that acted based on a court order. The raided premises include centers in cities other than Hamburg, such as Frankfurt, Berlin, and Munich.
The German ministry claimed that the center has been supporting Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement which is banned in Germany.
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The German ban will result in the closure of four Shia mosques in the country, including the iconic Imam Ali (AS) Mosque which is one of the oldest in Germany completed in 1965.
The Islamic Centre of Hamburg is one of Germany's important and historic Islamic centers, established the support of Ayatollah Boroujerdi.
It has published magazines in German and Persian and provided consulting services for the Shias of Hamburg. The center also boasts a library with over 6,000 titles on various Islamic and Shia subjects.
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