Muslim worshippers walk in the courtyard of Al-Azhar Mosque before Friday afternoon prayers, in the Islamic Cairo neighborhood after Friday noon prayers in Cairo, Egypt.

:: Egypt’s Al-Azhar praised the position taken by several Arab leaders to suspend ties with the Qatari government to ensure the unity and stability of the Arab nations, it said in a statement on Tuesday.

Al-Azhar said that it is closely following regional developments during the past several days and reiterates its support for the joint Arab position in its decision to cut ties with Qatar who have supported and harbored extremist groups and who have intervened openly in the internal affairs of neighboring countries.

The Egyptian institution also expressed hopes that efforts from Arab nations will redouble to stop attempts “exerted by the oppressive regimes, which constitutes a threat to the security and stability of the Arab region, hoping they will wake up from their negligence and return to their senses”.

As a response to Qatar’s continued aggressive policies in the region, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain all severed diplomatic relations with Qatar in a coordinated move on Monday.

Yemen, Libya’s eastern-based government and the Maldives joined later and transport links were shut down.