Al-Quds Mosque Hamburg (Arabic: , meaning "Jerusalem", or Masjid Taiba ) was a mosque in Hamburg, Germany between 1993 and 2010 when it was shut down by German security officials. The mosque was known for preaching a radical form of

Sunni Islam Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagre ...

. Al-Quds mosque was attended by some of the September 11 attackers including Mohamed Atta,

Marwan al-Shehhi Marwan Yousef Mohamed Rashid Lekrab al-Shehhi ( ar, مروان يوسف محمد رشيد لكراب الشحي, , also transliterated as Alshehhi; 9 May 1978 – 11 September 2001) was an Emirati al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist who served as ...

, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, and Ziad Jarrah who formed the

Hamburg cell The Hamburg cell (german: Hamburger Zelle) or Hamburg terror cell (german: Hamburger Terrorzelle) was, according to U.S. and German intelligence agencies, a group of radical Islamists based in Hamburg, Germany, that included students from dif ...

History

The mosque opened in 1993 and was run by the Taiba German-Arab Cultural Association. It occupied a three-story building near the Hamburg Hauptbahnhof rail station in a

red-light district A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light districts are particu ...

, in the

St. Georg St. Georg (Sankt Georg; ) is a central quarter in the borough Hamburg-Mitte of Hamburg, Germany. In 2020 the population was 11,349. History In 1410 the articles 17 and 18 of a contract (''Rezeß'') between the Senate and the citizens were regula ...

section of Hamburg. Quds-panorama

Unlike many other mosques in Hamburg which cater to the Persian and

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

populations, al-Quds served Hamburg's smaller Arab population. Under the leadership of

Iman Iman, Imann, Imaan, Eman, Emaan, or Imman may refer to: Places * Iman, Iran, a village in Kalashi District, Kermanshah Province * The Iman River, the former name of the Bolshaya Ussurka River, a tributary of the Ussuri River in Russia's Primors ...

Mohamed Fizazi ( fr), the mosque preached a radical version of Sunni Islam. Other leaders at the mosque have included Sheik Azid al Kirani. 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. On Fridays, the mosque usually had around 250 in attendance. 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 a place where members of the

Salafi movement The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a reform branch movement within Sunni Islam that originated during the nineteenth century. The name refers to advocacy of a return to the traditions of the "pious predecessors" (), the first three generati ...

traveled to meet.

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 The 2010 European terror plot was an alleged al-Qaeda plot to launch "commando-style" terror attacks on the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. The existence of the plot was revealed in late September 2010 after it was disrupted by intelligence ag ...

."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. German authorities discovered that ten 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.

References

External links

* * {{Mosques in Germany 1993 establishments in Germany 2010 disestablishments in Germany Mosques completed in 1993 Former mosques in Germany Mosques in Hamburg Buildings and structures in Hamburg-Mitte Salafi mosques Sunni Islam in Germany Islamic terrorism in Germany Hamburg cell

History

2010 shut down

See also

References

External links