CAIRO: A protest by Christians on Wednesday erupted into a clash between demonstrators and security forces in Egypt over the construction of a Christian church in Giza near the Great Pyramids. The Christians began rioting and demonstrating after police forced the construction of a church to be halted. At least one Christian was killed in the ensuing violence. According to the government-run MENA news agency, the final permits on the church construction had not been given. It also reported some 3,000 Christian protesters attempted to continue construction, which led to the violence. Eyewitnesses told Bikya Masr that they saw demonstrators throwing stones and attacking police officers. The police then responded by using tear gas to disperse the crowd. In total, more than 90 people were arrested in the clash. “It was really crazy, with people going all over the place, throwing things and when the police got close, they would be attacked,” said one witness. Egypt's Christian population, which makes up approximately 10 percent of Egypt's 80 million people, often complain of government attempts to curtail the construction of churches and houses of worship. This is not the first time security and Christian protesters have clashed in recent years. Two years ago, widespread violence was seen in Minya, in upper Egypt, after Muslims and Christians fought over the addition of a large Monastery in the area. Also, earlier this month, an alleged love affair between a Muslim man and a Coptic girl sparked clashes between the two communities in a village 300 miles south of Cairo. Reports indicate that villagers were angered over a rumor that the 20-year-old Christian man had raped the 17-year-old Muslim girl after they were seen entering a cemetery area. The ensuing violence and torching of homes and the one shop caused around 250,000 Egyptian pounds ($43,000) worth of damage. Speaking via telephone from the area, a 22-year-old Muslim woman, Heba, told Bikya Masr that the rumors were simply rumors and nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. “I know the girl and the man and they did not do anything wrong, there was no rape and the violence was not good,” Heba said. A senior cleric was also reported to have told police a similar story. The Christian man has been put in police custody as an investigation takes place. Last January, Muslim gunmen opened fire on a Christian church in Upper Egypt killing 6 Copts and one Muslim security guard. The incident sparked widespread condemnation, but also highlighted the tense situation between the two faiths in Egypt. George Ishaq, a Kefaya (Enough) opposition leader and prominent Copt, said that there are a number of solutions to the ongoing problems facing the country's religious groups. that whenever he meets a group of Copts he tells them to stop complaining about the discrimination they receive at the hands of the government and “start to move.” This, Ishaq argued, is the means of creating a society that will breathe life into the stale religious dialogue that is persisting in Egypt. “Copts and Christians need to get out there and make the country a part of their life. They cannot live separated from society like what happens in Lebanon because that leads to tension and violence. To say that Copts are the only people under threat is to avoid the truth,” he begins. “We live in a country where the government doesn't give anyone their rights, so people need to be realistic,” Ishaq continued. BM
