CAIRO - Christian protesters said on Monday they would suspend more than a week of protests that were sparked by the burning down of a church in mostly Muslim Egypt, the official Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported. Thousands of Christians have been protesting since March 5 in front of the state television building after the torching of a church in Helwan, on the outskirts of Cairo, over a row started by romance between a Christian man and a Muslim woman. The case has fuelled sectarian clashes that Health Ministry reports said killed 13 people and wounded 140 others, posing an early test for Egypt's new military rulers as they seek to re-establish order after weeks of political turmoil. The army which has governed Egypt since nationwide protests forced Hosni Mubarak to resign as president on February 11, pledged to rebuild the church and make it ready before Easter holidays. The protesters said they would suspend their protest until March 25 to see if it was being rebuilt and warned they would return to the streets if no progress was made, MENA reported. Interfaith relationships often cause tension in Egypt, where Christians make up about 10 per cent of its 80 million people. Christians complain about unfair treatment, including rules they say make it easier to build a mosque than a church. Last year Egypt saw more than its usual share of sectarian strife, and a rights groups has said such clashes have been on the rise. Muslims and Christians had been brought together during the protests that ousted Mubarak.
