Deadly clashes left at least 23 people dead and over 200 injured following protests by Coptic Christians in Cairo against growing religious persecution.
While initial news reports are unclear, it seems the Copts were protesting the growing number of attacks on churches and then were attacked by suspected Islamist forces.
Groups of men chanting, “Islamic, Islamic!” were seen in the area, while another group chanting, “Allahu Akbar,” were seen standing next to a group of Central Security Forces. Christians have previously accused security forces of siding with Islamist groups in these attacks.
The protest began over a September 30 attack on the Marinab church in Aswan, which was pulled down by a mob because it was claimed the church did not have the license for the construction of a dome.
Troops later fired on the protesters as they reached the state television building, known as Maspiro. Troops also allegedly assaulted journalists in the area, one of whom was a pregnant woman. Journalists were not allow to film the violence.
The recently formed left-liberal Egyptian Social Democratic Party claimed that Egypt’s military council was seeking to abort the country’s democratic transition by “engineering” violence. However, Information Minister Osama Heikal denied any official involvement and accused “external forces” as being responsible for the clashes.
Christians make up only 10 percent of Egypt’s total population of 80 million. They are anxious about their future since extremist Muslim groups have become increasingly influential after the ousting of president Hosni Mubarak.