Islamic Centre Hamburg
Encyclopedia
The Islamic Centre Hamburg (German: Islamisches Zentrum Hamburg) is one of the oldest Shia mosque
s in Germany
and Europe
. Established in Hamburg
, in northern Germany, in the late 1950s by a group of Iranian emigrants and business people it rapidly developed into one of the leading Shia centres in the Western world.
Many leading Iranian theologians and politicians (including Ayatollah Beheshti, Ayatollah Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari
or Mohammad Khatami
) have spent time (often years) here, have encountered and studied Western sciences and philosophy and contributed to the Western understanding of Shia Islam.
was appointed to lead the center.
During the 1970s the centre played a significant role in bringing about the political rising of Iranian students in the West against the Shah
and ultimately contributed to the Iranian Revolution
.
In 2007, the center announced the launch of first Shia Union in Europe.
Today the centre continues to play a role in furthering mutual understanding of Iranian Shia and the Western World.
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
s in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Established in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, in northern Germany, in the late 1950s by a group of Iranian emigrants and business people it rapidly developed into one of the leading Shia centres in the Western world.
Many leading Iranian theologians and politicians (including Ayatollah Beheshti, Ayatollah Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari
Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari
Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari is a highly influential Iranian philosopher, Shia Islamic theologian, writer and professor at Tehran University. He is noted for his idea that ad-din, is perfect, but not all-encompassing, i.e...
or Mohammad Khatami
Mohammad Khatami
Sayyid Mohammad Khātamī is an Iranian scholar, philosopher, Shiite theologian and Reformist politician. He served as the fifth President of Iran from August 2, 1997 to August 3, 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture in both the 1980s and 1990s...
) have spent time (often years) here, have encountered and studied Western sciences and philosophy and contributed to the Western understanding of Shia Islam.
History
During a meeting at Atlantic Hotel (Hamburg) in 1953, a group of Iranian residents of Germany discussed the need to establish their own religious center. A letter was sent to the late Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Husayn Borujerdi asking him for help; Grand Ayatollah agreed with the plan and donated 100,000 Rials to the center. The construction began in 1960 and by 1965 it was completed. In the same year Ayatollah Mohammad BeheshtiAyatollah Mohammad Beheshti
Ayatollah Dr. Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini Beheshti , was an Iranian scholar, writer, jurist and one of the main architects of the constitution of the Islamic Republic in Iran. He was the secretary-general of the Islamic Republic Party, and the head of Iran's judicial system...
was appointed to lead the center.
During the 1970s the centre played a significant role in bringing about the political rising of Iranian students in the West against the Shah
Shah
Shāh is the title of the ruler of certain Southwest Asian and Central Asian countries, especially Persia , and derives from the Persian word shah, meaning "king".-History:...
and ultimately contributed to the Iranian Revolution
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
.
In 2007, the center announced the launch of first Shia Union in Europe.
Today the centre continues to play a role in furthering mutual understanding of Iranian Shia and the Western World.
Surveillance
The centre is under surveillance of the Hamburg state Office for the Protection of the Constitution, (Landesamt für Verfassungsschutz) for its connections to Hezbollah.External links
- Official website (in German)
- Official website (in English)
- A brief history, Hamburg Islamic Center.