KSA leads condemnation of French priest’s killing

A police officer stands guard during a mass in tribute to priest Jacques Hamel who was killed by two Daesh attackers at the Saint Etienne church, in the Cathedral Notre Dame in Rouen, Normandy, France, on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Wednesday condemned “in the strongest terms” the attack on a church in France that saw a priest killed by Daesh followers.
“This cowardly terrorist act is rejected by Islam which necessitates protecting places of worship and prohibits violating their sacredness,” said the statement carried by SPA.
The UAE also condemned the attack which it said only aims to “spread sedition and fuel hatred.”
“This shocking crime reveals the lowness of its perpetrators and those behind them,” the UAE said, urging world countries to “work decisively and without hesitation to confront terrorism in all its forms.” Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar have issued similar statements condemning the attack.
Egypt’s top imam Ahmed Al-Tayeb denounced as “barbaric” the murder.
Al-Tayeb, who heads Al-Azhar institute, said the two attackers who killed the priest and took hostages on Tuesday “were stripped of humanity and Islamic values.” Tayeb “renewed his call for united efforts in confronting the cancer of terrorism that threatens the entire world,” said a statement.
Two attackers stormed the church in the northern town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray on Tuesday, slitting the throat of an 86-year-old priest and leaving a worshipper with serious injuries.