Egypt's Grand Mufti Shawki Allam condemned on Friday the killing of Jordanian pilot Moaz al Kasasbeh by Daesh militants as heinous and atrocity act that goes against all religion principles.
In interview with CNN, Allam said that the battle is ideological and the fight is not confined to Egypt or the Middle East.
"Violence and radicalization have become an international phenomenon that has no home or belief. But it runs through the entire world," he said.
"Everything Daesh does is far away from Islam. what it is doing is a crime by all means," the grand mufti said.
Allam believes in the need for reform, but he also believes the foundation of Islam must remain untouched.
It means "renewing the methods, renewing the tools, and renewing the way Islam's teachings are presented, " Allam said. "At the same time, we preserve and uphold the stable pillars of religion. Rattling the pillars leads to destabilizing communities."
The grand mufti's advice to young Muslims is to seek specialized scholars to understand the true meaning of Islam.
"We tell youth, Islam didn't carry a message of sabotage and destruction. It only came to serve humanity, to achieve world peace and bring mercy to the world," he said.