Al Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed El Tayeb has urged world leaders to join efforts to stop the spread of "terror and violence epidemic."

In a speech before the third international conference on "East and West, Dialogue of Civilisations", El Tayeb said the two practices pose a threat to the world, noting the cause of the two problems is always religious misconceptions.

Such problems result from misunderstanding of the religious concepts and wrong understanding of the holy books.

International cooperation requires the West to understand Islam and Islam understands the secularism of the West, he said in the opening speech of the event.

"If the two sides understand each other any wrong concepts will evaporate and they could cooperate," he added.

He called on the men of religion to sit together and reach understandings to help peace prevail.