CAIRO: The first day of Eid witnessed severe clashes between central security forces and the Muslim Brotherhood in Al Salhiya village near Sharqeya as a large number of members of the banned group gathered in a public place to hold the Eid Al Fitr prayer on Saturday. Several people were reportedly injured in the commotion and 39 Brotherhood affiliates were arrested for "holding prayers in spaces other than those allocated by the government. Four students were also detained for distributing leaflets to the worshippers, according to Al-Masry Al-Youm. Mohamed Habib, deputy leader of the Brotherhood told Daily News Egypt that the number of arrests were considerably higher; arguing that up to 180 people were detained in the tumultuous event. The majority of the detainees remain under arrest in Sharqeya, according to Habib. An iftar and a speech by Dr Farid Ismail, a Brotherhood MP, is said to have attracted up to 1,000 people on Friday. An eyewitness account from Kamal Saleh on the official website of the Muslim Brotherhood, Ikhwanweb, describes how "myriads of central security soldiers arrived in Salhiya and how the large flooding of people to the public prayer resulted in "huge clashes between citizens and the security forces. Furthermore, Dr Ismail argued that state security poured water on the ground to make the place inappropriate for prayer. When a few attendees tried to prevent the security forces from throwing water, "the soldiers attacked them and called for other soldiers to bring armored central security trucks, continued Saleh. Habib denounced the clashes telling Daily News Egypt that "people should be able to celebrate their holidays in peace - not in violence. Saturday s skirmish does not mark the first time the Brotherhood faces scrutiny from national security at one of their events. In September this year, the government prohibited the group from holding its annual Ramadan iftar, an extravagant gala often featuring up to 1,500 people. Ikhwanweb stresses that the Egyptian authorities have "repeatedly attempted to prevent the Brotherhood from holding Eid prayers in public places in recent years.
