CAIRO: The government has compensated 17 Copts whose property was damaged by angry Muslims last week in Isna, a local official said Tuesday. Authorities distributed LE 1,265,000 to 17 owners of cars and shops that were damaged in the town of Isna following reports that two Copts pulled down the veil of a Muslim woman in a car park, said Magdy Ayoub, the governor of the surrounding Qena province. Earlier this month, dozens of Muslims went on a rampage in Isna, located some 560 km south of Cairo, following rumors that Coptic Christians attempted to abduct and sexually assault a teenage Muslim girl. The rioters hurled stones and smashed windows of a pharmacy where they suspected the Copts forced the girl to have sex with them. Police detained 15 people suspected of taking part in the attacks, but many, if not all, of them were subsequently released. Police later arrested two Coptic Christians suspected of taking part in the girl's abduction. They were ordered detained for 15 days on charges related to sectarian tensions. Governor Ayoub said prominent Muslim and Christian figures in Isna plan to meet Wednesday in an attempt to reconcile the recent sectarian tension.
