Germany

After association ban: Iran summons German ambassador

Police forces are on duty at the "Center of Islamic Culture". Photo: Andreas Arnold/dpa

Keystone

In protest against the ban on the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH), Iran's Foreign Ministry summons the German ambassador in Tehran. "We can confirm that our ambassador in Tehran has been summoned to the Iranian Foreign Ministry today," said the Foreign Office.

Keystone-SDA

24.07.2024, 15:25

According to the Irna news agency, the Iranian Foreign Ministry justified the summons by stating that the German government's decision to ban the Islamic Center was simply unacceptable. In contrast to countries that have a dark past in connection with the "systematic murder" of Jews, Iran and Islam respect other religions and their believers.

Berlin: Relations with Iran downgraded in an almost unprecedented manner

Following the appointment of Ambassador Hans-Udo Muzel, the Foreign Ministry in Berlin said that Germany had "downgraded relations with Iran in an almost unprecedented manner" in recent years. There is a whole range of issues that have put a strain on German relations with Iran. These include the human rights situation in the country, Iran's direct attacks on Israel and its destabilizing regional policy, its nuclear programme, support for the Russian war against Ukraine and bilateral issues such as detention cases. "It is up to the Iranian side to take concrete steps to show that it wants a change in relations with Germany and Europe," it continued.

Interior Minister Faeser: Not acting against a religion

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had previously banned the IZH, an Islamist association active throughout Germany, which the Office for the Protection of the Constitution considers to be an "important propaganda center of Iran in Europe". Hundreds of police officers enforced the ban order against the IZH and five sub-organizations in the early morning. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the raid targeted accounts and buildings in a total of eight federal states.

As a direct representative of the Iranian "revolutionary leader", the IZH was spreading the ideology of the so-called "Islamic Revolution" in Germany in an aggressive and militant manner, according to a statement from the ministry. "It is very important to me to make a clear distinction: We are not acting against a religion," Faeser emphasized. The peaceful Shiite practice of faith and religion is expressly not affected by the ban.