Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi told French President Emmanuel Macron in a phone call on Monday that coexistence between the different religions must be promoted through dialogue, understanding and mutual respect, and by not desecrating religious icons.

The phone call between the two leaders comes days after a number of terrorist attacks were carried out in France and amid the controversy over comments by Macron about Islam.

El-Sisi told Macron that Islam is innocent of the terrorist attacks, according to the Egyptian presidency.

Last Thursday, a Tunisian migrant armed with a knifekilled three peoplein a church in the Mediterranean city of Nice, according to the French authorities.

Thursday's incident comes amid a worldwide Muslim uproar and condemnation of comments by Macron regarding Islam, as well as calls to boycott French products after Macron defended the right of people in France to make images of the Prophet Muhammad regardless of whether it offends Muslims.

Earlier this month, a Muslim man beheaded a French teacher who, in an effort to spark a discussion, had shown his class cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that were published by French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

Egypt’s Al-Azhar condemned the terrorist attack but it also slammed the French president for saying that Islam encourages "separatism and isolationism."

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