AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): In a statement, the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly strongly denounced the closure of the Islamic centers in Hamburg, Berlin, and Frankfurt by the German authorities.
Parts of the Assembly’s statement reads, “The AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, while announcing its strong protest and concern, strongly warns against the clear violation of the religious, social, and legal rights of German citizens and Muslims and Shiites in Germany, and considers the recent action of the German police as one of the clear examples of blatant violations of human rights and freedoms, such as freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of gathering; all of which are recognized by the international treaties and human rights documents and regulations, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations Charter, the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, the United Nations Millennium Declaration, and other human rights documents and German legal laws and procedures.”
The Assembly’s statement denouncing the closure of the Islamic centers in Germany is as follows:
بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
The anti-human rights action of the German police special forces in attacking the worship and holy places of Muslims, including Imam Ali (a.s.) Mosque Islamic Center in Hamburg, and their closure, caused great sorrow for all Muslims, freedom seekers, and those who are interested in human rights all over the world.
The AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, as an international non-governmental organization active in religious and cultural affairs, facilitating and developing knowledge and awareness about the humanistic and sublime teachings of Islam and Immaculate AhlulBayt (a.s.), while strongly denouncing this action, which is against religious freedoms and fundamental human rights, demands the German authorities to respond and reactivate mosques and religious centers.
During its more than 60 years of activity, the Islamic Center of Imam Ali (a.s.) Hamburg has been one of the most important religious, scientific, and cultural centers in Germany, which has provided worthy services in introducing religious and Islamic teachings based on rationality, spirituality, solidarity, and social peace, promoting peace, dialogue, and peaceful coexistence among people, and as a result, confronting extremism, discord, and violence.
Over the years, this center has been working as one of the most authentic Islamic centers supported by major Shiite seminaries and sources of emulation, such as the late Grand Ayatollah Borujerdi, and with the management of scholars and knowledgeable figures, it has established social, scientific, and academic relations and cooperation, and constructive interactions with the centers of other religions in Germany and Europe. It has also taken effective steps in strengthening and consolidating the fields of mutual understanding and dialogue between religions, cultures, and civilizations.
The charge of promoting extremism against the center, which has been a barrier against extremism and religious excommunication, and religious conflicts, is completely baseless and is rejected from a legal and humanitarian point of view, and shutting down such a law-abiding center, which promotes peaceful approaches, will have a negative impact on the social cohesion and coexistence of the followers of religions in Germany. Also, the issued verdict is in conflict with the right to a fair trial, the possibility of appeal, and social and legal security.
The AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, while announcing its strong protest and concern, strongly warns against the clear violation of the religious, social, and legal rights of German citizens and Muslims and Shiites in Germany, and considers the recent action of the German police as one of the clear examples of blatant violations of human rights and freedoms, such as freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of gathering; all of which are recognized by the international treaties and human rights documents and regulations, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations Charter, the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, the United Nations Millennium Declaration, and other human rights documents and German legal laws and procedures.
Considering the long history of observing human rights in Germany, the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly asks the German government to prevent the continuation of such illegal actions, and while restoring the honor and activity of imams of the mosques and Islamic centers, especially the centers of Hamburg, Berlin and Frankfurt, and annulling the closure of the mosques, compensating for material and spiritual damages and the continuation of the activities of all religious centers that have been raided and searched, confronting the perpetrators of insulting and defaming the imam and the director of the Berlin Islamic Center, and preventing the repetition of these illegal actions – which certainly cause escalation and promote violence, and intensify and develop Islamophobia in Europe and the world – which are used by anti-Islamists to promote Islamophobia and will have irreparable consequences in the world; to emphasize its adherence to citizen rights and rejection of racism and Islamophobia and to prevent the abuse of extremist and violent groups, and the increase of attacks on Muslims. Today, when the world is witnessing the crimes of the Zionist regime against the Palestinian people, women and children on the one hand, and the support of the public opinion of the people of the world, including in Europe and Germany, for the oppressed people of Palestine, creating peace, security, tranquility, dialogue, and coexistence has gained double importance.
Violent actions, arbitrary inspections, illegal and unjustified arrests and deportations by the German police and local and federal authorities, and the closing of mosques, Islamic centers, and Shiite associations – which are officially and legally registered and operate within the framework of German laws and regulations – are among the most obvious examples of deprivation of fundamental rights and social security and Judiciary of Muslim and Shiite residents, without the possibility of obtaining rights and enjoying fair proceedings.
The AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, after receiving numerous protests from all over the world denouncing the incidents, while calling on the Muslims living in Germany to maintain peace and obey the law, asks all the world Muslims, scholars, scientists, university professors, and religious leaders of other denominations and religions, to support the rights of the members of the great nation of Germany and Muslims with legal measures, and prevent the deprivation of a significant part of the people of the country from their inalienable human, religious, and social rights.
The AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, while reiterating the necessity of maintaining peace and social cohesion and protecting the rights of citizens and minorities, once again urges the German authorities to take urgent action to change the current approach and defend the rights of Muslims, and expects international authorities, including High Commissioner for Human Rights and the United Nations Human Rights Council, to act decisively to protect human rights around the world, including in Germany.
AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly
July 2024
It is worth noting that on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, German media outlets reported that the country’s police forces attacked the Islamic Center Hamburg, as well as other affiliated Islamic centers, and their activities were also banned. In this regard, the German Federal Ministry of the Interior announced that it had banned the activities of the Hamburg Islamic Center and its affiliated centers in Frankfurt, Munich, and Berlin for following “radical Islamist goals”. As a result, four Shiite mosques in Germany were closed and the properties of the Islamic Center Hamburg were confiscated.