By Mohammad Mehdi Imanipour

Black Wednesday

August 3, 2024 - 21:33

TEHRAN - The unconventional invasion of the Islamic Center of Hamburg by the German security forces and announcing its closure by the government of Germany reveals the superficiality of the claim for human rights, freedom of expression, and citizenship rights in this European country.

The false and distorted claims and justifications made by the media and official centers of Germany regarding the Islamic Center of Hamburg and the nature of its activities, cannot, certainly, deceive the minds of realistic and right-seeking people about the hidden truth behind the cause for this incident. There are, however, some points in this regard that need to be taken into consideration:

First) The proud history of the Islamic Center of Hamburg and its position in Germany. The establishment of this center had taken place at the request of a group of religious and believing citizens of Hamburg and during more than seven decades since its establishment, this center has been engaged in effective and blessed activities and peaceful and harmonious interaction with other divine religions, and as many German religious scholars have also acknowledged, it is one of the important centers of interreligious dialogue and convergence in this country.

A review of the constructive activities of the Islamic Center of Hamburg is undeniable proof of this claim. In such circumstances, the recent brazen action is an example of clear opposition to religious convergence and scholarly and constructive dialogue among people who seek spirituality and religious life.

Second) The approach of the current coalition government of Germany. Previously, too, certain unreal claims were made against the Islamic Center of Hamburg in order to prepare the ground for its closure. However, the current coalition Government was vested with the responsibility of speeding up the implementation of the scenario drafted by the Zionist lobbies and the security institutions of the usurper regime occupying Al-Quds. Therefore, it is important to make a smart distinction between the reality of this move and false claims about it.

Official parties and institutions in Germany try to consider the closure of the Islamic Center of Hamburg the result of a legal and internal process, whereas, such a claim is an example of giving the wrong information and deviating public opinion from the truth. Creating a false atmosphere at this juncture should be considered an act to give artificial respiration to the child-killing Zionist regime.

Third) German parties playing in the land of the occupying regime of Al-Quds has always been costly for Berlin, but the cost of this collaboration will be heavier than in the past. The widespread and zealous uprising of German citizens in defense of the Palestinians and against the Gaza genocide is considered a turning point in the contemporary history of Berlin’s foreign policy. Surprisingly, the German authorities not only missed the best opportunity to separate their path from the Zionist lobbies, but by continuing to play in the land of the butchers of the Gaza people and the occupiers of Palestine, they intensified the gap between themselves and the German citizens.

Fourth) The consequences of the decision made by the German government regarding the closure of the Islamic Center of Hamburg. We refer to Wednesday of last week as “Black Wednesday” because, besides the closure of a center or institution, freedom of expression was slaughtered in front of billions of people. What worries conscious people all over the world more than ever is the macro-trend and hypertext in which such an action is justified and may be repeated anywhere in the world and under any pretext.

Some people may think that the target of the German government’s recent action is only the Islamic Republic of Iran and the discourse of the Islamic Revolution, but such an idea is completely wrong. The closure of the Islamic Center of Hamburg is, in fact, an action against the principles of freedom of expression, human rights, and constructive dialogues among the followers of divine religions in the 21st century.

The religious scholars who prefer to remain silent or consider it an insignificant issue would be making a grave mistake. The anti-religion trend in the West has been manifested in various forms, such as burning the holy scriptures of religions, erasing innate human values, attacking the family institution, strengthening absurdism and unnatural hedonism, and any attempt for opposing these cases has been condemned by the West. Thus, any religion and civilization that calls on man to safeguard its inherent values, is included in the blacklist of hidden institutions of power in Europe. It is, therefore, necessary to end this trend by promoting the convergence of religions, and certainly, one of the most objective ways is the objection of the religious leaders of the world to the closure of the Islamic Center of Hamburg.

Mohammad Mehdi Imanipour is the president of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization

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