His Eminence Dr Ahmed Al Haddad, member of the Muslim Council of Elders and the Grand Mufti and Director of the Fatwa Department at the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities in Dubai has said, “This shocking and terrible event which took the lives of tens of Muslims in a place of worship reaffirms that terrorism has no religion or identity , something previously stated by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Nation states and international organisations must condemn this awful crime and then work towards dealing with the gravity of this situation which unfortunately showed the depth of hatred towards different groups. We as Muslims in the United Arab Emirates are great proponents of tolerance as we have dedicated an entire year towards this important value which must be entrenched between different religions and nationalities as per the blessings of Pope Francis and His Eminence Dr Ahmed El-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders who jointly signed the Human Fraternity Document.

We at the Muslim Council of Elders condemn this terrorism and call on the New Zealand Government to bring all those responsible for such actions to justice as well as investigate the causes and steps taken by the terrorists while protecting New Zealand Muslims who respect the laws of the country.

Finally, we call on the United Nations and the international community to revive the spirit of tolerance between people and to uphold the Human Fraternity Document until peace and harmony is restored.

May Allah have mercy on all those who lost their lives and protect all those that have been affected and all Muslims around the world from terrorism.