SOHAG - Angry villagers have set fire to two Baha'i homes in southern Egypt after a number of farmers held a violent protest after the local authorities refused to upgrade a marina for ferries connecting their village to the mainland, a security official said Thursday. Furious villagers rampaged through Sharoniyah, near Sohag on Thursday, setting fire to and damaging two homes owned by members of the minority Bahai sect, the official said. The fire has partially damaged the homes, were vacant of their residents during the incident, the official said, adding that the angry protesters also threatened the village's Bahais with death. "No one was inside these two homes when the fire broke out as they all had fled," he added. The two homes are owned by Mohamed Abdul Rahman Amaar, the official said, adding that the police made no arrests in relation to the attacks. The arson attacks were the culmination of unrest that began with stone throwing immediately after the local authorities refused to up grade a small marina for accommodating ferries that transport the villagers to the main land. Several human rights organisations denounced the "criminal aggression" against the Baha'is and called on the authorities to prosecute those responsible. Baha'is frequently complain of persecution in Egypt, which until recently only allowed citizens to put Islam, Christianity or Judaism as their religion on identity cards. A recent court ruling has allowed Baha'is, estimated at 500 in Egypt to leave the religion field blank.
