Austria to close 7 mosques, expel imams

One of the mosques belongs to the Turkish-Islamic Cultural Associations (ATIB)

By Askin Kiyagan

VIENNA (AA) - Austria will shut seven mosques and expel 40 imams, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced on Friday.

During a news conference with Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache and EU Affairs Minister Gernot Blumel, Kurz said the move came as part of a crackdown on "political Islam".

Kurz said that the investigation on several mosques and associations conducted by the Ministry of Culture and Interior had been concluded and that the activities of seven mosques were found to be forbidden -- one of them belonging to the Turkish-Islamic Cultural Associations (ATIB).

The Austrian chancellor added that the imams would be deported on grounds of being foreign funded.

Kaynak:

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