Riyadh: Al-Azhar strongly condemned and denounced the attempt to target Makkah-the Qiblah of Muslims and the place to which their hearts are drawn-stressing that endangering the sacred city constitutes a heinous crime, a sinful assault on a sanctity exalted by Allah, and a provocation to Muslim sentiment worldwide.

According to Saudi Press Agency, in a statement issued Wednesday, Al-Azhar stressed that it is inconceivable that Makkah should become an arena of conflict or be subjected to threats, affirming that the city's sanctity is a fundamental tenet of Islam and Muslim belief that must neither be violated nor approached with ill intent.

Al-Azhar noted that the security of the Two Holy Mosques is neither a political nor a regional matter, but one that concerns the faith of the entire Muslim Ummah. Targeting or endangering the sacred city, it said, is an affront to the sentiments of two billion Muslims and an assault on the sanctity of the holy sites toward which Muslims turn in prayer, to which they journey for Hajj from every distant pass, and around which they gather regardless of their homelands, schools of thought, languages, or ethnic backgrounds.

Al-Azhar emphasized that preserving the sanctity of the sacred city and safeguarding its security and the safety of those who visit it is a responsibility that must be upheld by Muslims and non-Muslims alike.