(Photo: Reuters / Asmaa Waguih)A Coptic Christian boy looks out of the Saint Mary Church which was set on fire during clashes between Muslims and Christians on Saturday in the heavily populated area of Imbaba in Cairo May 8, 2011. Egypt's prime minister called an emergency cabinet meeting on Sunday after 10 people died in bloody clashes in a Cairo suburb over the conversion of a Christian woman to Islam.
(Photo: Reuters / Mohamed Abd El-Ghany)Christians look at the Saint Mary Church, which was set on fire during clashes between Muslims and Christians on Saturday in the heavily populated area of Imbaba in Cairo May 8, 2011.
(Photo: Reuters / Asmaa Waguih)A Coptic Christian woman grieves during the funeral for victims of Saturday's clashes between Muslims and Christians in Cairo May 8, 2011. Egypt's military rulers vowed on Sunday to crack down on religious violence after 12 people died in clashes in a Cairo suburb sparked by unconfirmed suspicions that Christians had abducted a woman who converted to Islam.
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Two churches were set ablaze and at least 12 people killed in clashes between Coptic Christians and Muslims in Cairo over the weekend.
Pitched street battles broke out across the impoverished neighborhood of Imbaba, in the western part of Egypt’s capital, after Salafi Muslims turned out in force to demonstrate outside Saint Menas Church Saturday night.
The hardline Muslims were angry over rumors that a Christian woman was being held against her will inside the church because she wanted to convert to Islam and marry a Muslim man. Christians deny the claims.
The Salafis set the front of the church ablaze while Christians were still inside the building, and threw petrol bombs at homes and shops.
As the violence spiraled, Christians and Muslims threw stones at one another and gunshots could be heard. The nearby Virgin Mary Church was also set ablaze.
Riot police moved in to quell the violence with teargas and by firing warning shots into the air, but some Christians say they did not do enough to bring the situation under control.
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Misak Gameel, a priest at Saint Menas Church, was quoted by British newspaper The Independent, as saying: “The gates of hell themselves couldn’t destroy this church. We blame the army and the police. They didn’t deal with the Salafis and thugs as required.”
Christians and Muslims clashed again in central Cairo on Sunday, hurling stones at each other. Thousands of young Christians protested outside the state television building where they demanded the resignation of Egypt’s top military leader, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi.
Around 190 people have been arrested so far as Egypt’s military leaders vowed justice. It is under pressure to restore peace quickly in the face of widespread security concerns following the January 25 revolution that ousted President Hosni Mubarak.
Egypt’s prime minister, Essam Sharaf, canceled a tour of Gulf Arab states to deal with the situation. In a cabinet meeting, the government moved to increase security around religious sites and toughen laws related to attacks on places of worship.
It also promised financial compensation for relatives of the dead and the injured. Those arrested are to stand trial in the military courts.
The Coptic Cathedral announced three days of mourning on Sunday and led prayers for the dead.
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