Middle East Two dead in sectarian clashes in Egypt At least two people were killed and 200 injured in fighting involving Coptic Christians at state TV building. Last Modified: 15 May 2011 05:13
Petrol bombs were used in the late-night clashes, during which two people were killed [Al Jazeera] At least two people have been killed and 200 wounded in clashes between Coptic Christians, who were protesting in front of the state television building in Cairo, and unidentified assailants, state television reported on Sunday morning. During the sporadic fighting, which lasted for several hours, two Christian protesters were hit by gunfire that came from a car parked on a bridge above the protest, the Egyptian newspaper Al Masry Al Youm reported. It was unclear if they were the same protesters who later died. The fighting began at around 9pm Saturday night, when dozens of men from poor neighbourhoods in the vicinity of the state television building attacked the Christian sit-in with stones, Molotov cocktails and live ammunition, witnesses said. The protesters were armed with clubs and metal chains and could be seen throwing rocks and their own petrol bombs, witnesses said. Demonstrators had earlier prevented a motorist from driving through the sit-in, prompting him to fire at them with birdshot, the AP news agency reported, citing a security official. The protesters chased the man down and beat him, which may have inspired at least some of the members of the mob that returned to attack the protest, the AP said. Military troops formed a cordon to separate the sit-in from the attackers, fired into the air and used tear gas to stop the fighting early on Sunday. At least 10 cars were set ablaze and 50 people were arrested, interior ministry sources said. Four hours after the start of clashes, state television announced that the military had intervened and succeeded in restoring order. Alfred Raouf, a witness on the scene, said armoured vehicles later blocked traffic and pedestrians from going down from the bridge toward the protest area. Protesters at the sit-in had numbered in the thousands earlier in the day, but many left during the night. Those remaining insisted the demonstration would continue as their area was cordoned off by security, Raouf said. In a separate incident, an explosion occurred near the tomb of a prominent Muslim sheikh in the Sinai peninsula, the state-run Middle East News Agency said. There were no further details about the Sinai blast, but the latest unrest puts further pressure on Egypt's military rulers to ensure stability and security, following a popular revolt that forced out former president Hosni Mubarak in February. Sectarian divide Although Muslims and Christians came together to overthrow Mubarak, interfaith tensions have since grown and 12 people have been killed and more than 200 injured in recent clashes. Sectarian strife often flares in Egypt over conversions, family disputes and the construction of churches. Last Saturday, violent confrontations between some of Egypt's majority Muslims and minority Christians prompted angry protests by Egyptians from both faiths, with calls for the country's army rulers to use an "iron fist" against the instigators. Last week's clashes broke out after Muslims surrounded a church in Cairo to demand the handover of a woman they said Christians had detained after she converted to Islam and left her Christian husband to marry a Muslim. Egypt's interim ruling military council vowed on Friday to use all means to crack down on what they called "deviant groups" threatening stability and security. Copts account for up to 10 pecent of the country's more than 80 million people. They complain of discrimination, and have been the target of repeated sectarian attacks. Source: Al Jazeera and agencies ------------------------------------ Post message: prole...@egroups.com Subscribe : proletar-subscr...@egroups.com Unsubscribe : proletar-unsubscr...@egroups.com List owner : proletar-ow...@egroups.com Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: proletar-dig...@yahoogroups.com proletar-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: proletar-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
