And they've targeted church leaders including Pope Francis, figures within the Greek Orthodox church and Coptic christians.

This may be because non-Muslims in Muslim-majority countries — such as the Coptic Christian community in Egypt — are more likely to want to ­migrate.

Churches across France opened their doors to Muslims on Sunday to join in prayer with Catholics following the jihadist murder of a priest, the latest in a string of attacks.

Islamic State called on its group members to carry out jihad in Russia in a nine-minute YouTube video on Sunday.

Egypt’s Minister of Endowment Mohamed Mukhtar Gomaa was keen to perform Friday Prayers from Al-Sayeda Nafisa Mosque to hear the written sermon, Youm7 reported.

Egypt’s Islamic institution of Al-Azhar gives priority to supporting the culture of dialogue through using the different communication channels, said Azhat Media Center’s officials.

MP Ehab Mansour praised the meeting between Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and Coptic Patriarch, Pope Tawadros II at Heliopolis’ presidential palace on Thursday, Youm7 reported.

MP Amr Hamroush proposed to invite representatives of both Egypt’s Endowment Ministry and Muslim Senior Scholars for an open dialogue over the controversial written sermons at the House of Representatives, Youm7 reported on Friday.

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi told the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church Pope Tawadros II on Thursday that all Egyptians are equal in their rights and duties in accordance with the constitution during a meeting held in the wake of recent sectarian attacks in Upper Egypt.

The meeting held between Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and the Coptic delegation, headed by Pope Tawadros II, came upon a request from the presidency, said the Church’s Spokesman Priest Polis Halim on Thursday.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi received a Coptic delegation, headed by Pope Tawadros II, in Heliopolis’ presidential palace on Thursday, Youm7 reported.

Issuance of churches building law would resolve 50% of sectarian issues in Egypt, said Chairperson of Free Egyptians Party Essam Khalil on Wednesday.

Parliamentary Religious Committee exerts its efforts to ease the current tension between Egypt’s Islamic institution of Al-Azhar and Endowment Ministry over the written sermon, said MP Shoukry Al-Gendy.

Coptic Patriarch, Pope Tawadros II is scheduled to meet with President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi on Thursday, ecclesiastical sources revealed to Youm7.

Al-Azhar's Council of Senior Scholars, headed by Grand Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb, has reached a consensus agreement to reject the government's new policy of official, pre-written sermons for Friday prayers, saying the policy is damaging to religious discourse.

Dar Al-Ifta’s Islamophobia Observatory warned on Tuesday against the radical far right-wing in Germany using terrorist attacks in Europe to promote anti-Islam and anti-immigrant campaigns in order to achieve gains in the political sphere.

One of the assailants who slit the throat of an elderly French priest had dreamed of going to Syria and threatened to attack churches -- but seldom visited his local mosque, neighbours said.

Azhar’s Grand Imam Ahmed Al Tayeb ordered the leaders of his Islamic institution not to participate in the current controversy over the written sermons, Youm7 reported on Wednesday.

Coptic Bishop Paula of Tanta expressed his readiness to meet with governmental officials to discuss a new draft of churches building law scheduled to be discussed by the parliament during the current parliamentary round, Youm7 reported on Wednesday.

Egyptian MPs told reporters after their meeting with a British parliamentary delegation in Cairo on Tuesday that the delegation agreed that the Muslim Brotherhood group “must be designated a terrorist organisation.”

Egypt’s Muslim Senior Scholars Unanimously rejected Tuesday the written sermons idea during its meeting headed by Azhar’s Grand Imam Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Youm7 reported.