The head of the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH), Mohammad Hadi Mofatteh, was asked to leave Germany after the center and its branches were banned for promoting radical Islamic goals.
The Hamburg Interior Ministry has served 57-year-old Mofatteh with a deportation notice and asked him to leave the country within two weeks, German media reported on Thursday.
If he does not comply with this order, he will be expelled from Germany at his own expense by September 11. He will also be prohibited from re-entering Germany and staying there. If he fails to comply with this order, he faces up to three years in prison.
This measure follows the deportation of Nasir Niknejad, the Iranian-affiliated imam of the Islamic Center Berlin At the end of June, it highlighted the German government’s ongoing efforts to counter Iranian influence within its borders.
The closure of the Islamic Center Hamburgwhich is known to be under the control of the Supreme Leader of Iran, has a Retaliation from Tehran. Last week, Iranian security forces stormed and closed a language school affiliated with the German embassy in Tehran. This appears to be a reaction to the closure of the Islamic Center Hamburg and the Blue Mosque.
The German federal police raided the Islamic Center in November on suspicion of supporting the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which is accused of terrorism. Germany banned Hezbollah’s activities in 2020.
Documents received The German Interior Ministry documents show that Mofatteh received direct instructions from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The documents, which are part of a 220-page closure and activity ban order from the German Federal Interior Ministry, show continuous communication between Mofatteh and Mehdi Mostafavi, a senior official in Khamenei’s office.
According to “Der Spiegel,” over 650 WhatsApp messages were exchanged between the end of 2021 and the end of 2023, with topics ranging from ideological messages to the center’s future activities.
The directives from Khamenei’s office contained specific instructions on how to shape the narratives of major events, such as the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, which left about 1,200 people dead.
Days after the attack, Mofatteh was instructed to portray the incident as a necessary act of resistance against alleged Israeli crimes, highlighting the courage of Palestinian youth and portraying the attack as a turning point in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The revelations went beyond ideological influence and revealed financial ties between the Islamic Center Hamburg and Hezbollah, the Lebanese organization classified as a terrorist group by countries such as the United States, Great Britain, Germany and the European Union.
The inspectors found documents bearing Khamenei’s personal stamp and signature indicating financial support for operations in Yemen, clearly proving that the center not only spread Tehran’s ideology but also acted as a financial conduit for Iran’s militant proxies.
