CAIRO: Sectarian strife has broken out again in southern Egypt. On Saturday morning, in the Abu el-Jabal area in the center of Dayrut City of the Assiut Governorate, 300 kilometers south Cairo, after police arrested four Muslims accused of killing a Christian man who was shot dead last week. Hundreds of Muslims have gathered in Abu al-Jabal on Saturday morning, breaking into local shops, pharmacies and cars owned by known Coptic Christians. According to reports from the area, the mob smashed the front door of a church down and broke the glass windows of the Christian house of worship in protest against the continued detention of Ashraf Mahmoud Ahmed, Osama Abdel Hamid Mamdouh and two others for the murder of Christian man last week. (see also “Christian murder highlights sectarianism in Egypt”) Henry Atallah, 60, was killed it what appears to be an “honor” killing after his son was distributing CD's that allegedly contained “disrespectful images of a Muslim girl. In retaliation for what his son did, a group of men from the girl's family went to the Christian man's home and when they didn't find the son, shot and murdered the father. Sources from the area added that a rumor was spreading in al-Tahwila village in the governorate about a young Christian man who was distributing a CD “containing images that distorts the reputation of a Muslim girl, who was having a relationship with him and he started to distribute this CD after disputes erupted between them.†At the same time as these protests and attacks occur, hundreds of students from the Al-Azhar Institute in Dayrut, a nearby town, protested in front of the institutes's door, calling on security forces to arrest the young Coptic man “who caused the sectarian conflict.” The further called on the Coptic community of Dayrut not to hide the perpetrator and to hand him over to the police in order to end the strife. The attacks raged for more than an hour and police were forced to intervene, arresting dozens of Muslims who participated in the violent events, eye-witnesses said. Police have since imposed a curfew on the village. Security has cordoned off the area with more than 15 cars as well as tens of armored vehicles. At the time of the violent outburst, security was able to disperse the protesting students. Security forces used tear gas and water cannons to force people away from the scene. In related news, a source from the church attacked in Dayrut, confirmed in statements to al-Dostour newspaper that the church received security warnings to prevent the church from opening its doors in light of the ongoing sectarian incidents within the city. Police called on all Christians to stay in their homes and not to communicate with Muslims until the atmosphere of has calmed. Mamdouh Ramzi, a prominent Coptic Lawyer, sent an urgent letter to President Hosni Mubarak, calling on the president to issue instructions for an intervention to end what he called “the persecution of Copts in Dayrut.” He called on President Mubarak to grant the Copts there “a safe haven after the Muslims on Saturday burnt houses and cars and smashed shops owned by Christians.” Ramzy added in the letter that “Muslims are attacking the Copts as if they were chickens … a state of panic has spread among the Copts of Dayrut.” He attributed what is happening to Christians in southern Egypt to the “intolerance of security services,” who he claimed are not moving quickly to protect Copts, “causing the occurrence of this sectarian strife.” **reporting by Mohamed Abdel Salam BM
