The controversial former leader of the recently banned Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) in northern Germany filed a lawsuit on Wednesday challenging a deportation order, just hours before the deadline to leave the country.
In late August, authorities in Hamburg ordered Mohammed Hadi Mofatteh to leave the country within two weeks and banned him from returning. That deadline expires at midnight on Wednesday.
The IZH was banned in July after being classified as an extremist group by German authorities. German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had described the IZH as “Iran’s most important propaganda center in Europe.”
Germany’s domestic intelligence service discovered that Mofatteh was until recently considered the official representative in Germany of Islamic Republic of Iran hardliner Ali Khamenei.
“Mofatteh is a seasoned representative of the current regime in Tehran. His family is firmly integrated into Iran’s state-religious elite,” the agency’s latest report said.
He has been leading the IZH since 2018.
A court spokesperson confirmed to dpa that 57-year-old Mofatteh had filed an urgent appeal, but said the measure would not necessarily lead to a suspension of the deportation order.
The court spokesman said the timeline for the trial on Mofatteh’s request would depend partly on whether authorities want to forcibly remove him from the country.
Hamburg’s Internal Affairs Department said it would issue a statement on the matter on Wednesday afternoon.
German authorities also banned five other organizations linked to the IZH and seized the assets and facilities of all six groups.
Since then, the Blue Mosque in Hamburg, managed by the IZH, has also been closed.
The IZH claims that Mofatteh is the highest spiritual authority for Shiite Muslims on the European mainland.
