CAIRO: Nineteen rights groups and three opposition parties came together to form a committee aimed at combating the "escalating sectarian violence. The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, the Hisham Mubarak Law Center and Egyptians Against Religious Discrimination (MARED) joined forces with the Tagammu, Al-Ghad, the Democratic Front parties to form the committee. In a meeting last Wednesday, the groups and parties agreed to organize a protest in front of the Supreme Court on Jan. 9, as well as file a complaint to general prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmoud demanding that government bodies fulfill their roles in combating sectarian violence. They will also demand that the general prosecutor investigate the clashes that took place last November in Farshout, in the governorate of Qena, and Dirout in the governorate of Sohag. The groups will also form a fact-finding committee that will visit both villages and prepare a report on the clashes. However, the groups are yet to find a name for the committee. MARED suggested the name "The Egyptian Committee for National Unity, during the meeting but it wasn't approved by the attendees. Mohamed Mounir, coordinator of MARED, told Daily News Egypt, "We formed a committee comprised of the groups' and parties' lawyers to prepare reports about the incidents in Farshout and Dirout to present to the general prosecutor. "We will call on all the political forces and parties to join the protest, he said, "The escalation in sectarian violence requires that all the political forces and civil society organizations take a stand so the situation doesn't spiral out of control.
