CAIRO: Youm7 exclusively obtained the full text investigation about the Imbaba incidents of sectarian strife between Muslims and Coptic Christians in the Egyptian neighborhood Imbaba, Giza. The main trigger of the incidents is a Coptic Christian woman called Abeer Talaat Fakhry 48, who is trialed today before the State Security Criminal Court for causing this strife. The incidents aroused when Muslim Salafis gathered outside the Coptic Orthodox church of Saint Mina in Imbaba and demaned for her release, where the Muslims claimed the Christians imprisoned her in the church because she converted to Islam. According to the investigations, top officials of Giza police said the leaders of the Coptic Orthodox church of Saint Mina were involved in gathering a great number of Coptic Christians to counter the Muslims demonstrating outside the church. The police investigators reached the real inciters of the violence from the Christians, who chanted slogans to gather a greater number of Christians. Abeer was detained in a house near the church, said the director of Giza police Fayez Abaza. He added there were a few Christians who knew where Abeer was detained but instead warmed up other Christians against the Muslim Salafis and Yassin Thabit, Abeer's Muslim husband. The head of Imbaba police station said Abeer's husband and some Muslims called for Muslims in el-Nour mosque to inspect all houses near the Church to find Abeer but she and her daughters were released during the incidents. Abeer and her husband's lawyer, Ahmed Saif el-Islam, said he will ask the Criminal Court to summon leaders of the Church and an unknown nun, who imprisoned Abeer from May 1 to May 7. According to the investigation, Abeer said many knew she converted to Islam and the Church priests saw the document of her proclamation of Islam. But they took the document from her and told to her they will issue a paper to reconvert her to Christianity. Consequently, Abeer left Asyut to Giza with priest Bakhoum. They went to Abbasyia Cathedral to issue the document of reconverting her to Christianity but her name on the marriage form didn't match her name on her identification card. Abeer was taken to Saint Mina Church, accompanied by the priest Abanob, and lived in house near Saint Mina Church. Abeer said she had a mobile phone and called her husband, Thabit, to inform him of her whereabouts. She told her husband she will run away as soon as she could get the chance to retrieve her identification card. Two days later she heard noises outside the house and the nun who imprisoned her was talking to priest Abanob. Abeer heard the priest was telling the nun to release her. The lawyer said Abeer was asking the help of her husband in order to not reconvert to Christianity. Thabit called forth Muslims to demonstrate outside the Church to save his wife. He said the Christians created a mob inside the Church to prevent police forces from getting and finding Abeer. This is when the incidents aroused and clashes were triggered when a few Christians opened fire on the demonstrating Salafi Muslims. The investigation also revealed police forces tried to ease the situation between Muslims and Christians by checking all houses around the church when they suddenly heard gunfight from both sides.
