Egypt: Official, Religious Leaders Strongly Condemn ‘Abu Nomros’ Massacre

The Holy Al-Azhar, the top religious institution in Egypt, slammed on Monday the brutal crime that took place on Sunday night, in the Abu Muslim neighborhood located in Abu Nomros district of Giza, which resulted in the murder of four citizens and abusing their corpses.

In a statement issued on Monday, Al-Azhar said that “this criminal act, which committed by some people, is considered of the greatest sins and the most evils that are forbidden under the jurisprudence, punishable under the law and criminalized under the constitution.”

“Islam, the state of Egypt and the Egyptians do not know to murder for creed, doctrine or thought. Those events are peculiar to them. They are intended to undermine the stability of the country in these critical moments, and to drag us to seditions that we – as people and government – must be aware of,” the statement read, reminding of a holy quote of Prophet Mohammad (as) which asserts that “If two Muslims met with swords, the killer and the slain will rest in Hell.”

Al-Azhar also called for immediate investigation into these events and for the most severe punishment for those who will be proved guilty.

For its part, Egyptian Presidency condemned the crime, stressing that what happened is totally incompatible with the spirit of tolerance and respect the Egyptian people is characterized with.

In a statement released Monday, the presidency also expressed its complete rejection of such criminal acts, and confirmed that “the concerned state agencies have been directed to prosecute the perpetrators of this heinous crime and bring them to justice.”

The statement added that the state would never tolerate anyone who tries to tamper with the security and stability of the country or undermine the unity of the Egyptian community.

Moreover, Egypt’s Prime Minister, Hesham Qandil, condemned the “heinous” attack against the Shiites in a cabinet statement on Monday.

Qandil “strongly condemns the ugly incident … which resulted in the death of four Egyptian citizens,” the cabinet said.

“This heinous crime is incompatible with the principles and teachings of all heavenly religions, and contrary to the nature of religious tolerance in Egypt,” he said.

Qandil expressed his “categorical rejection of hate speech and incitement to violence” and said investigations were underway and that those responsible would be held accountable.

He said authorities would “ensure that the perpetrators be brought to justice to serve as an example to deter anyone thinking of tampering with the fabric of society.”

On Sunday, four Egyptian Shiite Muslims were killed when they were attacked by a hostile mob in Zawiyat Abu Muslim village in Abu Nomros in the Giza province.

A house where the Shiite residents were celebrating the birthday anniversary of Imam Mahdi (as) was stormed by hundreds of attackers after throwing molotov cocktails at the house. They dragged the Shiites out and beated them, killing five including senior cleric Sheikh Hasan Shahata and his brother.

The attack comes following weeks of toxic anti-Shiite rhetoric in the media and from Sunni extremist leaders.