Egypt’s religious institutes offer condolences for victims of NZ mosque shootings

CAIRO – 15 March 2019: Egypt’s religious institutions - Al Azhar and the Coptic Church in New Zealand - condemned the deadly mass shootings at two mosques that claimed lives of 49 people and injured 20 others in Christchurch area in New Zealand on Friday.

“The attack is a dangerous indication to the serious repercussions of escalating hared speech and xenophobia and the increasing Islamo-phobia in several countries,” Al Azahr said in a statement on Friday.

“The criminal attack, which violated the sanctity of God’s houses and shed prohibited blood, is an alarming bell [for people] to not be lenient with the racist groups and currents that commit such abhorrent acts,” the statement read. Al Azhar, the major Islamic Sunni institution in Egypt, offered its condolences for the loss of the victims.

Egypt's Council of Church also extended condolences for the loss of the victims, saying such act doe not relate to any religion.

The Coptic Orthodox Church in New Zealand offered its condolences, announcing that the church will ring its bells on Sunday noon to mourn the victims’ souls, the Church said in a statement.

A video broadcast of the shooting went viral on social media platforms, showing a gunman, who was later identified as Australian citizen Brenton Tarrant, opening fire randomly at worshippers inside Al Noor Mosque in the city of Christchurch, killing dozens; and then he went to another mosque to kill more Muslim worshippers.

The shooter strapped a GoPro camera to his head and broadcast his massacre live on his twitter account, which is now suspended.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern labeled the attack as “extraordinary and unprecedented act of violence,” and said it is “one of New Zealand’s darkest days.”

Egypt called on citizens in New Zealand to exercise vigilance and avoid gatherings of migrations following deadly mass shootings, according to a statement from the Egyptian embassy in a statement on Friday.

The Egyptian embassy offered condolences for the loss of the victims in Christchurch region in New Zealand, adding that the embassy in contact with the Australian authorities to identify the nationalities of the victims.