UN chief Antonio Guterres warned Tuesday (April 2nd) against a growing global climate of anti-Muslim sentiment, less than a month after a deadly attack on mosques in New Zealand killed at least 50 people, AFP reported.
His remarks came during a speech at Egypt's al-Azhar, where he met Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayeb.
"Around the world, we are seeing ever-rising anti-Muslim hatred, anti-Semitism, racism and xenophobia," the UN secretary general said.
Guterres warned of a surge in hate speech, saying it was "entering the mainstream, spreading like wildfire through social media".
"We see it spreading in liberal democracies and as well as in authoritarian states."
Guterres is on a two-day trip to Egypt. Following his visit to al-Azhar, he was scheduled to meet President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
On Sunday, he attended an Arab League summit in Tunisia.
