Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) resigns from the umbrella organization Schura

As of this Sunday, the controversial Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) is no longer a member of the Islamic umbrella organization Schura – and is therefore no longer part of the state treaty with the city of Hamburg. The Hamburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution considers the IZH, whose sponsoring association operates the Blue Mosque on the Outer Alster, to be an outpost of the Iranian mullahs' government in Europe, with "Iranian Islamists" at work here.

Since November 2012, the city of Hamburg has been connected to the umbrella organization Schura, Council of Islamic Communities, via a state treaty – and thus to date also with its member Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH). In return for state recognition, the associations committed themselves to the Basic Law and to integration tasks.

On November 20, the general meeting of the Schura met, and the agenda also included a vote on the further whereabouts of the controversial member. A two-thirds majority would have been necessary for this. The IZH declared its withdrawal there, according to the Shura in a statement.

"We didn't make it easy for ourselves and had numerous discussions that led to the result that the IZH is no longer a member of the Schura," says Fatih Yildiz, Chairman of the Schura. The umbrella organization wishes the IZH all the best for the further path and orientation and is available with its expertise as a brother and sister even after leaving.

The second mayor Katharina Fegebank (Greens) commented on Twitter: "I welcome this decision, because the participation of the IZH as an outpost of the Iranian mullah regime in the contracts with the Islamic religious communities would no longer have been conceivable."

Since the contracts were in place, there has been repeated criticism, with the CDU, FDP and AfD calling for termination for a long time. The Hamburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution repeatedly presents evidence that the mosque is being controlled by Tehran. Despite the warnings from the security authorities: the contract continued and should be evaluated from this November.

For some time now, the Greens and SPD, also under the impression of the violent suppression of the protests in Iran, have also been campaigning for the exclusion of the IZH, but wanted to continue to adhere to the contracts under this premise. With the exit, the biggest obstacle to the continuation of the contracts has probably been removed.

Most recently, the pressure on the Schura umbrella organization had grown extremely: It was only on November 19 that the Greens voted in favor of ending the partnership with the IZH. The Hamburg SPD had previously passed a similar motion with a large majority at its state party conference. It says: "We are contacting the Hamburg Shura and asking them to exclude the Hamburg Islamic Center from the Shura."