CAIRO: According to an Egyptian security official, clashes between Coptic Christians and Muslims resulted in the death of one Coptic Christian and left four other people wounded in the southern Egyptian governorate Minya on Monday. The incident was sparked by a traffic accident, which saw a Muslim motorist hit a Christian. The families of both parties began to argue, which quickly escalated into a physical conflict. Eye witnesses said stones were hurled and a gunfight ensued. In response to the violence, Christians proceeded to throw rocks at a nearby mosque, prompting Muslims to retaliate with gunfire. The result of the conflict saw one person dead, four wounded and several houses torched before security forces were able to end the unrest. Whilst conflict between the Muslim and Christian community are not unheard of, by and large there is a great degree of unity in Egypt with regards to these two religions. Point in case, there are many shared customs between both religions, such as fasting. In recent years, sectarianism has been reportedly on the rise, with both religious groups clashing in numerous towns and villages across Egypt, but often the fights are unrelated to religious identity and are not a result of religious tension. Experts say it is only after both parties discover the other is either Christian or Muslim does the fight become sectarian. BM
