The Islamic Center Hamburg is an organization that is considered an extension of the Iranian regime in Germany and is thought to have a significant influence over certain mosques and  is being probed for “spreading aggressive antisemitism,” Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser announced  Wednesday that the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) would be banned for propagating extremism and that its “Blue Mosque” was being searched by police.

Th center was under investigation for several months over its alleged support for Lebanon’s Hezbollah group which is backed by Iran, Deutsche Welle reporter. Hezbollah is classified as a terrorist group in Germany.

“It is very important to me to make a clear distinction here, we are not acting against a religion but just against a group accused of undermining the German state as well as women’s rights,” the minister said.

The Imam Ali Mosque, known locally as the Blue Mosque, is one of Germany’s oldest mosques.

The IZH is an organization that is considered an extension of the Iranian regime in Germany and is thought to have a significant influence over certain mosques and associations, according to Germany’s domestic intelligence services. It is being probed for “spreading aggressive antisemitism,” Faeser said.

The Iranian foreign ministry summoned the German ambassador over the ban, according to Iranian state news agency IRNA.

In 2020, Germany designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization and banned its activities on German soil.