Al-Azhar strongly denounces the act of a far-right extremist who tore a copy of the Qur’an inside a church in New York, Unites States Al-Azhar asserts that such a crime is a blatant example of deliberate, extremist incitement against Muslim sentiments, both within and outside the United States. Such crimes cannot be tolerated under the guise of the purported "Freedom of Speech," which is on selectively invoked in relation to Muslim symbols. This is because it is not permissible to denigrate the beliefs or religious symbols of others.
Al-Azhar reaffirms a well-established belief that the Holy Quran is forever protected by the power of Allah, and such incidents will not change this fact.
Al-Azhar emphasizes that terrorism and extremism are not confined to a particular religion or race and that combating extremism entails denouncing it in all of its manifestations without selectivityor double standards. Al-Azhar believes that such incidents reflect the rise in Islamophobia, anti-Muslim bias, white nationalism, white supremacist rhetoric adopted by the far right, hatred, and violence incited against Muslims.
Al-Azhar emphasizes that places of worship should continue to be places of peace, worship, coexistence, and acceptance of others, rather than venues for disrespecting symbols or inciting hatred. Furthermore, Al-Azhar calls for the immediate opening of an investigation and for holding the extremist perpetrator accountable, as well as all those who participated in, incited, or facilitated this crime, and for the law to be applied against them without leniency. Al-Azhar affirms that tolerating hate crimes encourages their recurrence and that it is the obligation of the entire international community to defend religious symbols and adherents against hatred.