The Grand Mufti of Egypt, Dr. Shawqi Allam, vehemently condemned the explosions that hit the airport and metro station in Brussels today. In a speech, he gave at the European parliament to debate interreligious and intercultural dialogue, Dr. Allam explained that terrorism poses a threat to the entire world and the only way to confront it is by international cooperation efforts on all levels. “We will not succeed in making any significant progress in our fight against terrorism except if we all shoulder this responsibility in earnest,” he said.

He added that the whole world faces a common threat that makes it incumbent to open channels of direct dialogue with each other. Terrorists, he said, exploit religious texts which they use for their own personal interests and to justify their criminal actions.

Dr. Allam emphasized that Islam unequivocally rejects terrorism, adding the necessity of understanding the factors that allegedly justify violence; otherwise the world runs the risk of never being able to eradicate this plague.