Al-Tahrīr described the attack on four Shī’ah leaders as “horrible” and the first of its kind in Egypt’s modern history, and angered the Azhar scholars and Azhar Senior Scholars. Dr. Muhammad Ra’fat 'Uthmān said the incident was committed in order to intensify sectarian differences amongst Egyptians. He said criminal acts like this are most evil crime against Islam, and it is a crime of religious ignorance.