Coptic Church,Cairo
Posted on 05/07/2011 10:13:08 PM PDT by Eleutheria5
CAIRO, May 7 (Reuters) - At least five people were killed in a sectarian clash in Egypt on Saturday over a Christian woman who allegedly had converted to Islam, according to officials.
Interfaith relationships often cause tension in Egypt, where Christians make up about 10 percent of its 80 million people.
The strife represents another challenge to Egypt's military rulers who are trying to restore law and order after President Hosni Mubarak was forced to step down in a popular uprising in February.
Witnesses said some 500 conservative Islamists known as salafists gathered at the Saint Mina Church in the Cairo suburb of Imbaba demanding to take custody of a woman they said had converted to Islam.
A shouting match ensued between church guards and neighbours and the Islamists. The verbal clash developed into a full-fledged confrontation during which the two sides exchanged gunfire, firebombs and stones.
"I just left one young man dead inside the church," one Christian witness told journalists at the scene.
Authorities deployed large numbers of soldiers and police, backed by armoured vehicles, to the area. The army fired shots in the air and used teargas to separate both sides, witnesses said.
A security source put the death toll at six and said 75 had been wounded, according to the state MENA news agency. The director of the health department in Giza province, Abdel-Halim al-Behairi said five had died and 54 had been wounded. He told MENA that three of the wounded were in serious condition.
A Reuters witness said later that another church in the same area was on fire and had been severely damaged. There were no reports of any further casualties.
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Of course, you are speaking ironically. To speak frankly, the knowledge of these events fills me with the utmost anxiety. An anxiety engendered by my own complacency and inaction in the face of these outrageous affronts.
I’d like confirmation that the woman did, actually, convert to Islam.
this story is very similar to one a few weeks ago where the woman did not convert, did not want to convert, but had mobs outside the church demanding she be turned over. The mob in the prior incident actually had a ‘marriage’ ceremony to a muslim volunteer husband without her even being present
That’s what I figured. Same scenario has played in Yemen fairly recently.
arm the christians , see how many salfists turn up next time, take one step back they take two forward why is 10,000 years later we cant still learn this basic survival principal
arm the christians , see how many salfists turn up next time, take one step back they take two forward why is 10,000 years later we cant still learn this basic survival principal
“A shouting match ensued between church guards”
Interesting, we have ushers at my church. This is what happens when we interfer in some piss pot country. Of course his brillance is still taking victory laps for the Bin Ladin matter. I think he will try to run this out right into the election. Alas for him these little trifling matters of his many screw ups is about to lap him.
It’s encouraging to at least see that a fire hose has been brought to bear on the flame. That is not always a given with Coptic churches, even in the good ol’ days before demoncracy.
“Egypt’s military rulers have detained 190 people in connection with the clashes between Muslims and Christians in Cairo in which at least 12 people were killed and more than 230 wounded.
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces ordered “the transfer of all those arrested in connection with (Saturday’s) events, and they number 190, to the Supreme Military Court, as a deterrent to all those who think of toying with the potential of this nation.”
The council, which has ruled Egypt since a popular uprising toppled president Hosni Mubarak, also said it would “set up a committee to assess the damage from the clashes” and restore property.
In a statement on Sunday, it also called on “all communities in Egypt, the youth of the revolution, the national forces and Islamic and Christian scholars to stand like a wall against any attempt by the forces of evil and darkness to tear the national fabric.”
Al Jazeera.
I am listening to the Minister speaking and it seems that they are not pleased with this religious stoked violence.
Thank you Hussein Al Amriki !
His brilliance has always been a 25-watt bulb, and even that’s taking a victory lap. What do the polls show, anyway? Has his bounce finished bouncing yet?
“Sectarian violence” is the new catch word. When these kinds of things were happening in Yugoslavia it was called “ethnic cleansing”, we sent American troops there to protect the Bosnians. But when nonmuslims are killed it is simply called “sectarian violence” as if both sides were equally guilty.
What it really means is that some Copts had the temerity to shoot back.
related thread: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2717106/posts
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