Middle Eastern countries and leading Muslim clerics on Friday (July 15th) condemned a deadly Thursday evening attack that killed 84 people, including 10 children and teenagers, in the Mediterranean resort city of Nice on France's national holiday, AFP reported.
Egypt's Al-Azhar said the "vile terrorist attack" contradicted Islam and called for "uniting efforts to defeat terrorism and rid the world of its evil".
Grand Mufti of Egypt Shawki Allam condemned the assailant as an "extremist", going on to say that those who commit such crimes "are cursed in this life and in the hereafter".
The six Gulf states issued a statement saying they strongly condemned the "terrorist" act.
"The Gulf Co-operation Council states stand in solidarity with the French republic following this cowardly criminal incident whose perpetrators have been stripped of all moral and human values," said GCC secretary general Abdullatif al-Zayani.
Saudi Arabia issued its own statement condemning the attack, adding that it stands in solidarity with France and will "co-operate with it in confronting terrorist acts in all their forms".
"This heinous terrorist crime makes it imperative for all to work decisively and without hesitation to counter terrorism in all its forms and manifestations," said UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan.
Arab League chief Ahmed Abul Gheit condemned the "craven terrorist attack", his spokesman said.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon denounced the attack, calling Friday for intensified efforts to confront terrorism and violent extremism.
Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon each denounced the attack and sent messages of solidarity and condolence to French President Francois Hollande.
Meanwhile, Hollande vowed to strengthen his country's role in the fight against the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) in Iraq and Syria after the attack, which has not yet been claimed by any group.
