The Muslim Council of Elders, led by His Eminence Prof. Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, strongly condemns the terrorist attack on the Monastery of Saint Mark the Apostle and Saint Samuel the Confessor in the South African city of Johannesburg. The attack resulted in the tragic deaths of three monks from the Coptic Orthodox Church.

The Council firmly rejects such terrorist acts, which are contrary to the teachings of religions and divine laws that prohibit attacks on innocent lives in places of worship and advocate for respect and acceptance of others, discouraging any form of aggression or harm towards them. 

The Muslim Council of Elders expresses its heartfelt condolences to His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, the Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church, and to the families of the victims. The Council demands that the perpetrators be pursued and brought to justice.