Egypt’s al-Azhar expressed hope that the International Day of Peace, which fell on September 21, would be an opportunity for the worlds decision-makers to shoulder their moral and humanitarian responsibilities towards the suffering of victims of wars and conflicts. In a statement on Friday, al-Azhar stressed that it has constantly sought in recent years to spread and promote a culture of peace and dialogue among followers of different religions and peoples from different civilizations. It added that it has held many conferences and events for this purpose, stressing that its Grand Imam Dr. Ahmed al-Tayeb has prioritized defending the values of tolerance and coexistence and rejecting the calls of extremism, racism and isolation. Al-Azhar recalled the suffering of the Palestinian people under the brutal Zionist occupation, the distress of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims and the plight of people fleeing wars and conflicts that have destroyed their homeland and deprived them of security and stability. Meanwhile, Egypts Grand Mufti Shawki Allam stressed the importance of spreading peace in different parts of the world, especially in conflict zones. “The world greatly needs peace and security given its suffering at the hands of terrorism, violence and flagrant aggression against the rights of peoples, who continue to endure the scourge of war and occupation, especially in the occupied Palestinian territories,” he added. “Terrorism seeks to impose its control and spread its influence on the public and youth, whether through force or oppression or the dissemination of false fatwas and misguided ideas that are promoted on social and other audiovisual media,” he stated. “This has had the worst impact in spreading violence and chaos and threatening peace and security in many countries in the world.” Allam, therefore, urged all global decision-makers and international organizations to work hard to end wars and conflicts and support occupied peoples in obtaining their legitimate rights.