Al-Azhar headquarters in Cairo
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the observatory said the attack took place on Monday at the Islamic centre, citing security reports carried by Associated Press saying two teenagers suspected of carrying out the attack were also killed following the shooting inside or near the facility north of downtown San Diego.
The attack triggered immediate official reactions in the United States, with President Donald Trump condemning the incident as “horrific.”
Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism said the attack renewed urgent calls for stronger security measures to protect places of worship worldwide amid rising threats against religious institutions.
The observatory linked the increase in such threats to the growing rhetoric of far-right groups and white nationalist movements.
It stressed the need for a comprehensive review of security and intellectual strategies to confront hate crimes and violent extremism and ensure the safety of all places of worship, regardless of faith.
It also underlined the importance of protecting teenagers from extremist and misleading ideologies through coordinated institutional efforts by both official and non-official bodies.
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