Cairo:Al-Azhar Al-Sharif has condemned the tearing of a copy of the Holy Quran by an American far-right extremist inside a church in New York City, describing the incident as an act of extremism and deliberate provocation of Muslims in the United States and around the world.
Al-Azhar stressed that the incident cannot be justified in the name of freedom of expression, emphasizing that freedom of expression should not be used as a pretext to insult religious beliefs, sacred texts, or religious symbols.
It called for an urgent investigation and for the perpetrator, as well as anyone who participated in, incited, or facilitated the act, to be held accountable under the law.
Al-Azhar warned that tolerance of hate crimes could encourage their recurrence and stressed that respecting religious sanctities and protecting communities from incitement and hatred is a shared responsibility.