CAIRO: Clashes between Egyptian Muslims and Coptic Christians escalated on Tuesday after Coptic protestors blocked a main road in Cairo's Nasr City for more than two hours. As conflicting reports spread regarding the number of those killed or injured, at least 2,000 Coptic protesters continued their sit-in before the Egyptian State Television building, Mespiro, for the third day in a row. The sit-in continued into Tuesday night and demonstrators said they will not break the sit-in until all of their demands are met, including the resignation of the governors of Helwan, 6th of October, and Qena governorates. On Monday, Prime Minister Essam Sharaf visited the protestors. They received him warmly but insisted they would not speak to him until the governor of Helwan resigned. The demonstration began when a church in Helwan district was burned in a clash between Muslim and Coptic residents over a relationship between a Muslim woman and a Coptic man. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces said on Monday the church will be rebuilt in its original location at the expense of the State and will be completed by the Easter holiday. Brigadier General Tarek Mahdi , who oversees the TV and Radio Broadcast Authority, confirmed to the protesters that the village is under the army`s control. He said the army is security Coptic homes and that all Christian families, except three, have returned to their homes. There is a strong unity between Muslim and Christian communities in Egypt, particularly since the bombing outside a church in Alexandria on New Year's. During the Egyptian Revolution, that religious solidarity was strengthened as all Egyptians, as one, called for the resignation of former president Hosni Mubarak and a transition to democracy. During some of the more difficult times of the revolution, Christian Egyptians locked arms and surrounded their Muslim countrymen to protect them as they prayed in the streets. Many Egyptians believe State Security is behind the recent outbreaks of violence against the Christian religious minority, including the New Year's Eve bombing in Alexandria. Coptic Christians make up an estimated 10-15 percent of Egypt's population. BM
