Inhabitants of Sol, south of Cairo, have seen facilities in their village upgraded in the wake of sectarian clashes, Amirah Ibrahim reports The Giza governorate village of Sol, scene of sectarian strife earlier this year in which a church was torched, now not only has a new church but a bakery, sports and medical centre constructed by the military. The army also renovated a village mosque. The new facilities were inaugurated on Sunday by a combined government-army delegation including Health Minister Amr Helmi, Giza Governor Ali Abdel-Rahman, senior military commanders and deputy ministers of local development, supply and youth. "This is -- I can say -- a miracle. To build a church and perform the Easter Mass a month after the old church was torched, I couldn't believe it," said Balamon Yuaqim, the priest at Al-Shaheedin Church, the focus of violent clashes in the village seven months ago. "And now to see the new facilities which the village has needed for decades; a medical centre and a sports unit, in Sol we never dreamed such things would happen." The church was torched by a group of Muslims in early March following a dispute between two families over a romance between a Muslim girl and Christian boy. Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) promised to rebuild the church in its original location. Sol's 5,000 Christians live among 50,000 Muslims. "The Armed Forces also renewed and upgraded an old mosque which does not carry any family name and is generally known as the Grand Mosque. It was a gift from the army to the poor people in the village," says Major General Hassan El-Rweini, commander of the military division which carried out the construction and renovation projects at Sol. "The projects -- renovations and new construction -- were built out of the Armed Forces' budget," explained SCAF member El-Rweini. "The people of Sol wanted a number of facilities to improve their living conditions and the SCAF committed itself to respond positively." The rebuilt Grand Mosque has been expanded to incorporate 600 metres for men and an upper floor of 350 metres for women. "All the projects were designed by the Military Engineering Unit which also undertook the concrete frames of the facilities," explained Brigadier Mohamed Ihab. "The projects have been built to a high standard. The management will be transferred to the local civil administration." The official delegation honoured the names of soldiers and citizens killed during the unrest, among them a young army officer, Lieutenant Ahmed Samir, from Banha. He was killed by drug smugglers at his station in Sol. "I am proud of my son and even happy he is a martyr," said the lieutenant's father Samir Ramadan. "Eight of the criminals who killed my son have been arrested. I am waiting to see the rest punished as they deserve." Residents of Sol, which is 120km south of Cairo, had to travel 25km to the nearest subsidised bakery and to receive medical treatment. The village now has a three-storey medical centre providing specialties such as scan, labs, fertility clinics and which includes a doctors hostel. As the officials moved to inaugurate the new facility, women cheered as they queued in front of the medical centre waiting to be allowed in. "The medical centre cost LE5.9 million. LE3 million was provided in equipment by the Health Ministry. The Armed Forces paid the rest," SCAF's El-Rweini explained. The bakery, which covers 170 square metres is now open, producing 1,500 loaves an hour.
