Thousands of Copts attended the funeral Thursday morning of eight Copts killed in sectarian clashes in Manshiyet Nasser near Moqattam in Cairo. They attended prayers for the souls of victims in the monastery of Saint Simeon Kharraz Thursday at 10 AM. The priest delivered few words blessing the martyrs and thanking the military for securing the place. After the funeral, thousands of Copts left the monastery chanting, "We sacrifice our souls for the sake of our cross." Violent clashes erupted Tuesday between hundreds of Copts and Salafis in the Zarayeb area of Moqattam, which led to the injury of 140 people and the deaths of at least 13 Christians and Muslims. Coptic Christians were protesting an attack by a group of Muslims on a church in Atfeeh, Helwan, south of Cairo, earlier this week and what they said was a delay in rebuilding the church. The conflict was sparked by a romantic relationship between a Coptic man and a Muslim woman. Some observers fear that Egypt's notorious State Security may have instigated the recent wave of sectarian strife in order to distract protesters who are demanding that State Security be dismantled. In a statement released Tuesday, the Muslim Brotherhood accused the remaining members of the ousted regime of attempting to ignite sectarian tensions to destroy national unity. "These people are operating under the principle of 'divide to conquer' and have incited a group of Muslim extremists to bring up other sectarian issues, which should not be discussed at present," the statement read.
