The Maltese Muslim community has condemned the attack on worshippers at the Coptic church in Alexandria, Egypt, on Christmas Eve, saying Islam had “nothing to do with such extremist acts”.

The Imam, Muhammad el Sadi, said in a statement: “Of course Islam, which calls for religious freedom and respect of places of worship of all faiths, has nothing to do with such extremist acts.”

He added that Islam must be given credit for safeguarding and protecting Christian and Jewish minorities in the Middle East since their advent. Those who attribute such wicked acts to Islam are misleading others or are themselves misled, he said.

Twenty-one people were killed and 79 injured in a suspected suicide bombing after Midnight Mass, as worshippers were leaving Al-Qiddissin church in Alexandria. The explosive device was filled with nails and ball bearings to maximise the number of casualties.

The Imam said the Maltese community believed this criminal act was the work of enemies of the Egyptian people “who want to weaken the country and paralyse its vital regional role in establishing justice and peace in the Middle East by fuelling a sectarian civil war between Copts and Muslims who have had a long, successful experience of peaceful coexistence since the seventh century”.