After his expulsion, the director of the Islamic Center in Hamburg leaves Germany

German authorities announced on Wednesday that the former director of a religious center, closed by German authorities due to its ties with the Iranian regime, has left Germany following an expulsion order issued against him.

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Andy Grote, the Interior Minister for the northern state of Hamburg, said in a statement that Mohammad Hadi Mofatteh, the former director of the “center,” “left Germany on the evening of Tuesday, September 10,” according to reports from “Al Arabiya Net.”

Mofatteh, 57, who had been directing the center since 2018, was ordered to leave the country by September 11 and will not be allowed to return to or remain in Germany for twenty years. Should he disobey this order, he could face a prison sentence of up to three years.

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At the end of July, German authorities closed the “Islamic Center of Hamburg,” which notably housed the important Imam Ali Mosque in Hamburg, also known as the “Blue Mosque.” The center has been confiscated and closed since then.

Berlin considers the mosque to be an organization affiliated with the Iranian regime and a major supporter of Hezbollah’s activities. The decision has sparked new diplomatic tensions between Berlin and Tehran, leading to the summoning of the ambassadors of both countries.

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The “Islamic Center of Hamburg,” founded by Iranian migrants in 1953, had been on the radar of German intelligence services for years. After the outbreak of war in Gaza, members of the Bundestag renewed calls for the center’s closure, especially given Hezbollah’s alliance with the Hamas movement.

Mohammad Hadi Mofatteh is a prominent Shia cleric, born in 1966 in Qom, Iran. He holds the title of “Hujjat al-Islam,” a significant religious rank in Shia Islam. He obtained a diploma in mathematics in 1984 and studied electrical engineering at the University of Tehran before turning to religious studies. He completed his studies in Quranic and Hadith sciences and earned a PhD in the field.

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From 2018 to 2024, he served as the president and director of the Islamic Center of Hamburg, which is one of the most prominent Shia Islamic centers in Germany. However, in August 2024, he was ordered to leave Germany due to his involvement in promoting an extremist and totalitarian Islamic ideology.