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Clashes erupt at Al-Azhar ahead of planned march Demonstrators taking part in march to protest the violence in Maspero last Sunday are themselves attacked at Al-Azhar
As Friday prayers came to an end in central Cairo's Al-Azhar mosque, people gathered outside for the peaceful march to Abbassiya Cathedral were attacked by people coming out of the mosque. An Ahram Online reporter at the scene said a group of demonstrators outside the mosque began chanting against the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and its leader, Field Marhal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi. The scene descended into rock throwing a few minutes into the chants. The mix became more volatile when people who had been praying inside the mosque came out at the end of the Friday prayers. According to our correspondent, the preacher's sermon during the prayers served to foster divisions by focusing on Muslims who died in Sunday's Maspero clashes and omitting to criticise the military council or the government for the violence on Sunday night. As a consequence as members of the congregation left the mosque, they accused the demonstrators outside of variously being affiliated with the former regime and foreign agents. They also began chanting "The army and the people are one hand," a popular revolution chant which referenced the public's faith in the military junta. The first group of demonstrators responded by chanting "Muslims and Christians are one hand." The two groups threw rocks at each other, divided by their attitude towards the military council, causing chaos in the street. Despite this start, the march did set off with around 200 people heading from Al-Azhar for Abbassiya Cathedral. Along the way, our correspondent reports that chants proclaiming unity between Egypt's Muslims and Christians drew scorn from people watching on.
