The Central Council of Jews in Germany has welcomed a ban on the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) issued by the country’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, who is a member of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’ center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD).

»The ban on the IZH in Hamburg by the BMI is consistent«, the President of the Jewish umbrella organization, Josef Schuster, stated. »Iran’s mullah regime and its proxies are in position worldwide. Their goal is to destroy our democracy and our way of life.«

»Aggressive antisemitism is a core element of this ideology of hatred that is directed against all of us«, Schuster said. »Germany must do everything it can to prevent this hatred from spreading. In times in which our open society is threatened from both within and outside, we must work together to defend our democracy and everything it stands for.«

Ideology of the »Islamic Revolution«

Minister Faeser had issued the ban because, according to her ministry, the IZH propagates the establishment of authoritarian Islamic rule. As a direct representative of the Iranian »revolutionary leader«, the organization spread the ideology of the so-called »Islamic Revolution« in Germany in an aggressive and militant manner, according to a statement.

An IZH ban had been demanded by the Central Council of Jews for a long time. Several high-ranking politicians from different parties present in the Berlin Bundestag and NGO representatives echoed the call.

Remko Leemhuis, the Director of the AJC Berlin, did so earlier this year: »The German government should finally close the Islamic Center Hamburg, the regime’s most important institution in Europe, and expel the regime’s representatives there«, he wrote in an opinion piece published by the »Jüdische Allgemeine« (in German) back in April.

»This should have been done immediately after October 7th, especially as a message to the mullahs«, Leemhuis stated. Berlin was fully aware of the fact that Hamas would not have been able to carry out its antisemitic massacres without help from Iran, and that those ultimately responsible were therefore in Tehran.