Al-Azhar harshly condemns attempted attack on Mecca, saying its security impacts 2 billion Muslims

Al-Azhar Al-Sharif condemned the attempted attack on Mecca, emphasizing that targeting the Holy City is an abhorrent crime.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Al-Azhar stated that it “condemns and denounces in the strongest terms the targeted attack attempt on Mecca, the Qibla of Muslims and the haven of their hearts,” stressing that “exposing the Holy City to danger is a heinous crime, a sinful assault on a sanctuary venerated by God, and a provocation to the feelings of Muslims across the globe.”

Al-Azhar warned of the dire consequences of expanding the scope of conflict to reach Islamic holy sites, stressing that it is unthinkable for Mecca to become an arena of conflict or threat.

It added that the sanctity of Mecca is an unshakeable tenet of the Islamic faith and the beliefs of Muslims, which must not be compromised or threatened in any way.

Al-Azhar Al-Sharif affirmed that the security of the Two Holy Mosques is not a political or regional matter, but rather an issue that touches the faith of the entire Islamic world.

The statement warned that targeting the Holy City or exposing it to any danger antagonizes the feelings of two billion Muslims and constitutes an assault on the sanctity of holy sites toward which Muslims turn in their prayers, perform pilgrimage from every distant pass, and unite around regardless of their homelands, schools of thought, languages, or colors.

It added that safeguarding the sanctity of the Holy City, as well as preserving its security and the safety of those who visit it, is a responsibility that Muslims and non-Muslims alike must respect, entirely apart from the calculations of conflict and politics.