Iran recalls German ambassador over mosque closure, cites Islamophobia
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The summoning was made after Germany closed the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) amid Islamophobic policies.
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A crescent moon marks the top of the roof dome of the Sehitlik Mosque in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, June 29, 2023. (AP)
German Ambassador to Tehran Hans-Udo Muzel was summoned by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday.
The summoning was made after Germany closed the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) on Wednesday amid Islamophobic policies.
In a meeting, the Foreign Ministry's Director General for West European Affairs warned the German government of the potential consequences of such damaging activities, saying, "Such actions are a clear example of confronting the freedom of thought and expression and actually promoting violence and extremism."
According to the news website Dnyuz, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser declared on Wednesday that the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) would be banned for "spreading extremism".
Read next: Dozens of mosques attacked in Germany in 2022: Report
Additionally, early on Wednesday morning, scores of German police officers conducted a raid at Hamburg's Blue Mosque, which is run by the Islamic Center Hamburg in the city's northern region on the coast of the Outer Alster Lake, according to Yahoo News.
One of Germany's oldest mosques is the Imam Ali Mosque, also referred to as the Blue Mosque locally.
Back in April, Human Rights Watch stated that in the face of an increase in hate crimes and discrimination, the German government is not doing enough to shield Muslims and others who are thought to be Muslims from bigotry.
Among the obstacles to a successful reaction include the lack of a consensus definition of anti-Muslim racism, government statistics on occurrences, and funding for institutional support for victims.
This also comes amid the frightening rise of the far-right in Germany, the AfD, known to advocate for "xenophobia, racial discrimination, and right-wing extremism in Germany."
