Egypt’s Al-Azhar has condemned the Islamophobic attack that resulted in the fatal stabbing of Algerian student Rahma Ayat in Hanover, Germany, on 15 July.
The prominent Islamic institution called for urgent global efforts to tackle the rise of white nationalist and far-right violence in Europe, and described it as ‘a heinous terrorist act.’
Al-Azhar warned that these dangerous ideologies are putting Muslims and refugees across the continent at serious risk. It also urged governments to take firm legal action to stop such attacks and prevent future tragedies.
On the morning of July 4, 19-year-old Rahma Ayat was fatally stabbed in the stairwell of her apartment building in Arnum, south of Hanover, Germany.
According to media reports, Rahma was found with several stab wounds to her chest and shoulder and died shortly after emergency services arrived. A 31-year-old German man, who lived in the same building, was arrested later that day.
While the suspect remains in custody, no official charges have been made, and the motive has not yet been confirmed.
Rahma’s family revealed that she had told them two months earlier that she felt threatened by the same neighbor. Her mother further stressed Rahma was regularly harassed by the neighbour because she wore a hijab and was of Arab background.
The incident sparked protests and public outcry across Germany. Vigils and rallies have been organized by Algerian and Arab communities, with many calling for the attack to be treated as a hate crime rather than an isolated act or the result of mental illness.
Anti-Muslim incidents have been rising in Germany in recent years. In 2024 alone, police recorded 1,554 hate crimes targeting Muslims, including 54 attacks on mosques.
Across Europe, one of the most recent cases happened on 25 April in southern France. Aboubakar Cissé, a 22-year-old worshipper originally from Mali, was violently stabbed 57 times inside a mosque in La Grand-Combe. The attacker filmed the assault and shouted anti-Muslim slurs during the attack.
French authorities treated the case as a regular crime, which led to public outrage and criticism that the government was downplaying Islamophobic violence.
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