CAIRO — Ten people were killed in violence between Egyptian Christians and Muslims, the health ministry said Wednesday, as sectarian tensions that appeared to evaporate in the country's revolution resurfaced.
The violence in Cairo Tuesday night was the worst outbreak of sectarian strife since President Hosni Mubarak was swept from power on February 11 by a mass uprising characterized by solidarity between Christians and Muslims.
It was not immediately clear how many of the dead were Christian or Muslim. The clashes began when several thousand Christians protested against the burning last week of a church in the Cairo suburb of Helwan by a Muslim mob.
The health ministry said 110 people were wounded in the violence, the state news agency reported.
Shot in the back
Security and hospital officials said those involved used guns, clubs and knives. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Reuters reported that Molotov cocktails and rocks were also thrown.
At least one of the dead Christians had been shot in the back, but it was unclear who had fired the bullet. The army had fired into the air to disperse protesters.
The Christian protest began when they blocked a vital highway, burning tires and pelting cars with rocks.
An angry crowd of Muslims set upon the Christians and the two sides fought battles for about four hours.
Coptic Christians make up about 10 percent of Egypt's population of 80 million.
Tensions between the communities which appeared to evaporate during the mass uprising against President Hosni Mubarak have resurfaced in recent days, posing a challenge for the country's interim military rulers.
Islamists on Tuesday protested outside the prime minister's office over the case of two women who they believe are being held against their will in churches after converting to Islam.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41983220/ns/world_news-mideast/n_africa/
The violence in Cairo Tuesday night was the worst outbreak of sectarian strife since President Hosni Mubarak was swept from power on February 11 by a mass uprising characterized by solidarity between Christians and Muslims.
It was not immediately clear how many of the dead were Christian or Muslim. The clashes began when several thousand Christians protested against the burning last week of a church in the Cairo suburb of Helwan by a Muslim mob.
The health ministry said 110 people were wounded in the violence, the state news agency reported.
Shot in the back
Security and hospital officials said those involved used guns, clubs and knives. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Reuters reported that Molotov cocktails and rocks were also thrown.
At least one of the dead Christians had been shot in the back, but it was unclear who had fired the bullet. The army had fired into the air to disperse protesters.
The Christian protest began when they blocked a vital highway, burning tires and pelting cars with rocks.
An angry crowd of Muslims set upon the Christians and the two sides fought battles for about four hours.
Coptic Christians make up about 10 percent of Egypt's population of 80 million.
Tensions between the communities which appeared to evaporate during the mass uprising against President Hosni Mubarak have resurfaced in recent days, posing a challenge for the country's interim military rulers.
Islamists on Tuesday protested outside the prime minister's office over the case of two women who they believe are being held against their will in churches after converting to Islam.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41983220/ns/world_news-mideast/n_africa/
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