Political and religious leaders in the Muslim world condemned the shootings in New Zealand on Friday, killing 49 people, and blamed the rise of Islamophobia.

As governments in Asia and the Middle East rushed to know how many of their citizens had fallen victim to the bloodshed in Christchurch, there was also anger over the attackers being targeted by worshipers during Friday prayers.

"The responsibility for these increased terrorist attacks has been blamed on the current phenomenon of Islamophobia after 9/11, with 1.3 billion Muslims collectively being blamed for any terrorist act," Prime Minister Imran Khan said on social networking sites.

Al-Azhar warned in a statement that what happened "constitutes a serious indicator of the consequences of the escalation of hate speech, xenophobia and the spread of Islamophobia in many European countries."

"The criminal attack should be a warning bell that we should not tolerate the currents and racist groups that commit such abominable acts," the statement said.

The statement called for "more efforts to support the values ​​of coexistence, tolerance and positive integration among members of the same society regardless of their religions and cultures."

"Our collective efforts against violence and hatred must continue with renewed determination," said UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash.

In Riyadh, an official source at the Foreign Ministry expressed Saudi condemnation of the attack and reiterated "the condemnation of Saudi Arabia's condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, whatever its source, and that terrorism has no religion and no homeland."

Turkish Foreign Minister Mouloud Gawishoglu said the attack was a deliberate demonization of the political struggle of Muslims.

"Not only the perpetrators of these heinous crimes, but also the politicians and the media who fuel the already growing Islamophobia and hatred in the West bear the same responsibility for this heinous attack," he wrote on Twitter.

Al-Azhar in Cairo denounced the attack as a "horrific terrorist attack."

New Zealand police said 49 were killed. Three men and a woman were arrested and one man was charged with murder.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardenne said the victims may include new immigrants and refugees. "They are from us, the person who committed this violence against us is not us, they have no place in New Zealand."

Christchurch, home to about 400,000 people, includes a large Muslim community, including foreign students.

The Indonesian ambassador to New Zealand, Tantawi Yahya, told Reuters that investigations were underway to see if there were any Indonesian victims. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said there were 331 Indonesians in Christchurch, including 134 students.

"Indonesia strongly condemns this shooting, especially in a place of worship and during Friday prayers," Foreign Minister Ritno Marchudi said in a statement.

Afghanistan's ambassador to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, on Twitter, said three Afghans were among the wounded.

Malaysian Foreign Ministry said Malaysians were injured in the attack.

Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Shahriar Alam said it was "very fortunate" that the national cricket team had not suffered any casualties or injuries. The team in Christchurch to play a match against the New Zealand national team had arrived for Friday prayers as the shooting began.

"I can not imagine what would have happened had they arrived five minutes early," a scientist wrote on social media.

Hundreds of angry protesters gathered in Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, after Friday prayers.

"We will not leave Muslim blood in vain," one of the protesters said.

Ordinary citizens expressed dismay at a video that was widely distributed on social media and apparently armed and broadcast live on the Internet at the start of the attack, killing anyone in front of him in a mosque using a semi-automatic rifle.

New Zealand police confirmed the video was broadcast by an armed man who took part in the attack.

"I feel nauseated," said one Twitter user in Indonesia. "This person is an idiot and an idiot." Others criticized the slow pace of authorities and the media in describing the perpetrators as "terrorists".

A person from Singapore wrote on Facebook, "This is a terrorist act.

"Why is not terrorism said when Muslims are killed," said Mohammed Haneef, a government official from Dhaka, "so be fair and say so."

By Sunday evening, the New Zealand Prime Minister described the attack as a "terrorist".

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Australian citizen arrested after the attack was "an extremist and a right-wing terrorist