A Danish newspaper has revealed extensive financial and organizational ties between the Islamic Republic and Imam Ali Mosque in Copenhagen, one of the largest Shiite centers in Denmark.
“The Imam Ali Mosque in Copenhagen has received millions of kroner from Iranian donors for the purchase of a detached house. This is shown by secret documents that Berlingske has been given. The money has gone through the Iranian Embassy in Copenhagen,” wrote the paper.
The mosque received millions of kroner from Iranian institutions and donors to advance the Islamic Republic’s ideological agenda, according to documents obtained by Berlingske.
In 2007, about 2.7 million kroner was transferred through Iran’s embassy in Copenhagen to the mosque’s managing association. The funds, provided by two Iranian charities, were used to buy a villa in Denmark.
Although the Danish Justice Ministry licensed the property strictly for embassy staff housing, it became the residence of Mohammad Mahdi Khademi, the mosque’s imam and chairman.
Khademi, from an influential Iranian family, was formally employed by the Iranian embassy between 2001 and 2015 and listed internally as embassy staff, Berlingske reported.
The mosque’s bylaws, previously reported in Danish media, state it is “under the authority of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic.”
The revelations have sparked calls in parliament for closure of the mosque. Some lawmakers described it as a propaganda arm of the Islamic Republic and urged its immediate shutdown. Others argued that if current laws prevent closure, legislation must be amended to stop foreign-backed institutions from operating.
The financial dealings and property case linked to the mosque are now under review by Danish security and judicial authorities.
Germany banned the Islamic Center of Hamburg in July 2024, citing its promotion of the Islamic Republic’s ideology, support for Hezbollah, and actions contradicting the German constitution.
A nationwide police raid in November 2023 across 54 associated offices in seven states precipitated the center’s removal from the umbrella Central Council of Muslims in Germany, laying the groundwork for a formal ban on its operations and affiliates.
