Iranian activist Masih Alinejad warns of Tehran’s spreading of extremism in Europe

 Iranian activist Masih Alinejad warns of Tehran’s spreading of extremism in Europe

Iranian journalist and activist Masih Alinejad has warned that Iran and its allied groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah, are spreading their ideology in Europe, during a speech at the Munich Security Conference. “Here in Germany, they have 51 Islamic centers… Do you think these Islamic centers are trying to teach you peace and security? No,” Alinejad said.

“All these Islamic centers were created by the dictator Ali Khamenei, and they are trying to extend Islamic laws, Sharia law, to Germany,” she added. Alinejad said that Iran-backed networks in Europe are brainwashing young people, warning that “they are brainwashing your children to say they are Hamas or Hezbollah.”

She expressed concern about the spread of extremist ideologies online, pointing to videos on TikTok where users glorify Osama bin Laden and extremist groups such as the Taliban and ISIS. She also criticized European governments for suppressing voices speaking out against Islamic extremism, stressing that this contributes to the spread of extremist ideologies.

The German Foreign Ministry acknowledged contact with the Munich Security Conference but said decisions regarding invitations were made independently. A source familiar with the matter told Iran International that Berlin feared that Pahlavi’s attendance would endanger the lives of German dual nationals detained in Iran.

In a post on the X platform on Sunday, Masih Alinejad wrote: “Silencing voices under the pretext of political correctness or Islamophobia will not put an end to terrorism, but will only empower and strengthen it.”

In the context of her participation in the Munich Security Conference, she warned that freedom of expression is under threat, referring to the decision to withdraw the invitation extended to the son of the former Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi.

Alinejad also highlighted human rights violations in Iran, referring to the women sentenced to death and the mother of Pouya Bakhtiari, a protester killed by security forces during the 2019 Iranian protests who recently attempted suicide in prison. She concluded by saying: “Stand on the right side of history.”