Al-Quds Mosque Hamburg

Al-Quds Mosque Hamburg (Arabic: مسجد القدس, meaning "Jerusalem", or Masjid Taiba مسجد طيبة) was a mosque in Hamburg, Germany between 1993 and 2010 when it was shut down by Germany security officials. The mosque is known for preaching a radical form of Sunni Islam. Al-Quds mosque was attended by some of the September 11 attackers including Mohamed Atta, Marwan al-Shehhi, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, and Ziad Jarrah who formed the Hamburg cell.[1]

Al Quds Masjid Hamburg
Religion
AffiliationIslam
Location
LocationSt. Georg, Hamburg, Germany
Geographic coordinates53°33′25″N 10°01′10″E
Architecture
TypeMosque
Stylebackyard
Completed1993

History

The mosque opened in 1993, and was run by the Taiba German-Arab Cultural Association.[2] It occupied a three-story building near the Hamburg Hauptbahnhof rail station in a red-light district, in the St. Georg section of Hamburg.[3]

Interior of al-Quds

Unlike many other mosques in Hamburg which cater to the Persian and Turkish populations, al-Quds served Hamburg's smaller Arab population.[4] Under leadership of Iman Mohammed al Fizazi (fr), the mosque preached a radical version of Sunni Islam.[3] Other leaders at the mosque have included Sheik Azid al Kirani.[3]

The prayer room for men was located on the first floor, and was able to accommodate up to 400. There was a separate prayer room for women, which was unpainted and uncarpeted.[3] On Fridays, the mosque usually had around 250 in attendance.[5]

By 2004, the mosque had, according to security authorities, become a meeting points for North Africans and Iraqi proponents of jihadism. By 2009, the mosque had become place where members of the Salafi movement traveled to meet.[6]

2010 shut down

The mosque was shut down by German security officials in August 2010 amid suspicion that the mosque was again being used as a meeting place for Islamic extremists involved in the 2010 European terror plot.[7] [8][9] German authorities discovered that 10 members of the mosque had traveled to the border region of Pakistan and Afghanistan, and Shahab D., an Iranian at the mosque, had joined the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.[5]

See also

References
  1. Grieshaber, Kirsten (2010-08-09). "German mosque used by Sept. 11 attackers shut down". Associated Press. Retrieved 2010-08-11. Sept. 11 ringleader Mohamed Atta as well as attackers Marwan al-Shehhi and Ziad Jarrah had studied in Hamburg and frequented the al-Quds mosque
  2. Moore, Tristana (2010-08-10). "Jihadi Tourism and the Closed Hamburg Mosque". Time. Archived from the original on 28 August 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
  3. Finn, Peter (2002-09-11). "Hamburg's Cauldron of Terror". The Washington Post.
  4. McDermott, Terry (2005). Perfect Soldiers: The Hijackers: Who They Were, Why They Did It. HarperCollins. p. 3. ISBN 0-06-058469-6.
  5. Hengst, Björn; Christoph Scheuermann (2010-08-09). "Hamburg Hate Preachers Lose Their Home". Der Spiegel. Archived from the original on 18 August 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
  6. Online, FOCUS. "Islamismus-Experte klagt Hamburger Senat an: Integration von Muslimen gescheitert". FOCUS Online (in German). Retrieved 2018-07-15.
  7. "9/11 Mosque Continued To Produce Jihadis; German-Speaking Militants Came From Same Hamburg Mosque As 9/11 Hijackers," RICHARD ESPOSITO, RHONDA SCHWARTZ, MATTHEW COLE and ANNA SCHECTER, Sept. 29, 2010, ABC News.
  8. "Germany shuts 9/11 plotters' mosque in Hamburg". BBC. 2010-08-09. Archived from the original on 17 August 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
  9. "Hamburg Officials Raid Alleged Islamist Recruiting Site". Der Spiegel. 2010-08-09. Archived from the original on 17 August 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-03.

German mosque used by September 11 militants closed at Wikinews


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