Posted on 02/13/2002 5:47:04 AM PST by xvb
Coptic Church Attacked In Southern Egypt
February 12, 2002
Crosswalk.com News Channel - Compass Direct reports that Coptic Orthodox Christians celebrating their first Sunday Mass Feb. 10 were attacked with rocks and firebombs by a Muslim mob near El-Minya, 140 miles south of Cairo.
According to local sources in the village of Bani El-Walmous, the armed attackers damaged the church's cross and set the pews on fire. Reuters reported that the 11 people were injured, including two policemen.
But according to the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera TV station's Arabic news broadcasts, 10 Coptic Christians were wounded and 35 nearby homes were destroyed. The BBC reported only four injuries, three Muslims and a Christian, with five homes set afire. Later reports could confirm only 15 Coptic homes burned, with a number of others looted. "We are still waiting for the details," editor Youssef Sidhom of the weekly "Watani" newspaper told Compass, after confirming he had a correspondent at the site.
Egyptian authorities blamed the conflict on "provocative elements from both sides, Muslim and Christian" in official statements. Security forces told Reuters that after a Muslim mob pelted the church with rocks, Coptic Christians inside the building had fired shotguns at their attackers.
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