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Egyptian grand mufti condemns Shia killings as a worse sin in Islam than destruction of sacred Kaaba in Mecca

Egypt’s Grand Mufti Shawqi Allam strongly condemned the mob killing of four Shia Muslims in a Giza village on Sunday, an incident which has heighten fears of worsening sectarian frictions in Egypt.

Egypt’s Grand Mufti Shawqi Allam strongly condemned the mob killing of four Shia Muslims in a Giza village on Sunday, an incident which has heighten fears of worsening sectarian frictions in Egypt.

Four Egyptian Shias were killed in a mob attack in the village of Zawyat Abu Musalam in Giza on Sunday.

An anti-Shia crowd gathered outside the house where a group of Shia Muslims were celebrating birth anniversary of twelfth Shiite Imam. The violence, which included the murder of four Shia residents and the injuring of several others, was captured on video.

"Islam does not recognise such [violent] practices which contradict human nature," Allam said on Monday.

The senior Sunni cleric stressed that bloodshed is highly prohibited in Islam and is deemed more serious a sin than the demolition of the Kaaba, the Muslims’ sacred building located in Mecca.

One of those killed was a prominent Shia leader, Hassan Shehata.

Allam went on to explain that Islam prohibits the mutilation of the dead body. "Islam mandates treating the body as a living human, prohibiting beating and dragging of corpses."

Allam warned against mounting sectarian friction in Egypt that has "sucked the country into a vortex of violence."

Four Egyptian Shias were killed in a mob attack in the village of Zawyat Abu Musalam in Giza on Sunday.

An anti-Shia crowd gathered outside the house where a group of Shia Muslims were celebrating birth anniversary of twelfth Shiite Imam. The violence, which included the murder of four Shia residents and the injuring of several others, was captured on video.

"Islam does not recognise such [violent] practices which contradict human nature," Allam said on Monday.

The senior Sunni cleric stressed that bloodshed is highly prohibited in Islam and is deemed more serious a sin than the demolition of the Kaaba, the Muslims’ sacred building located in Mecca.

One of those killed was a prominent Shia leader, Hassan Shehata.

Allam went on to explain that Islam prohibits the mutilation of the dead body. "Islam mandates treating the body as a living human, prohibiting beating and dragging of corpses."

Allam warned against mounting sectarian friction in Egypt that has "sucked the country into a vortex of violence."