Attar was denied re-entry to Syria by the newly installed Ba'athist government following a hajj trip to Mecca in 1963, and has lived in exile in Germany since the 1970s. Attar was in turn removed from his position as Supreme Guide in 1980 as a result of poor health and due to repeated government victories in the Islamic uprising in Syria. He has led the Talaa’i organization in Germany since the late 1970s, which works mostly with non-Syrian Muslims. He still consults with the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood on Syria related issues.