Egypt

Egypt's ruling military council appointed Kamal el-Ganzouri on Friday as prime minister to form "a national salvation government" to replace the cabinet which resigned this week.

Kamal el-Ganzouri, 78, is a former prime minister under President Hosni Mubarak. His appointment comes as protests continue to intensify in Cairo with tens of thousands of people demanding that the generals step down.

The news comes as Egypt’s military rulers held a press conference Thursday in Cairo, telling thousands of attendees that parliamentary elections will definitely commence on Monday as planned. more >>

As violent clashes take place in Egypt, some in the media are wondering whether Coptic Christians in the country were better off under the rule of former President Hosni Mubarak.

Since the Arab Spring began, Coptic Christians have experienced frequent attacks against them.

On Jan. 1, 2011, a car bomb set off at a Coptic church in Egypt killed 21 people and injured 79 more. more >>

The April 6 Youth Movement, a major force in the ouster of Hosni Mubarak’s regime in Egypt earlier this year, is calling for a struggle against the military-led interim government amid ongoing clashes that have killed two and injured 750 people in Cairo.

Egyptian police were clashing for a second day on Sunday morning in central Cairo with protesters demanding that the military announce an early date to hand over power to an elected government, according to the local newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm.

The protests carried on despite the killing of two people and the injuring of at least 750 as clashes erupted Saturday, according to Health Ministry figures. more >>

A protest over 25 slain Christians in Egypt last month turned hostile in Cairo on Thursday as believers clashed with Muslims and police in a new string of violence, leaving at least 29 injured.

According to Reuters, a group of residents from a local neighborhood gathered and threw stones at the protestors, which led to clashes between the two groups. During the Oct. 9 clashes that led to the deaths of 25 protesters, state media called upon Muslims to take arms against the minority Christians in the country.

Coptic Christians, who are speaking against the brutality and violence they have experienced at the hands of the Egyptian officials since former President Hosni Mubarak was overthrown in February, marched through the Shoubra suburb and headed for Tahrir Square in the capital. more >>

The Egyptian army’s killing of 27 people – including at least 23 Christians – who were protesting the burning of a church building has removed any respect most Egyptians had for the transitional military government, according to Christian human rights activists in the country.

The activists, along with members of Egyptian churches, said that the attack and the subsequent denial of any wrongdoing by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has taken away any credibility the army had among Christians, moderate Muslims and “secularists.”

Instead of assuming any responsibility for the killings, the military instead blamed unidentified “enemies of the nation.” more >>

New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) has expressed fear that the Egyptian government will attempt to cover up attacks against Coptic Christians during an outburst of violence on Oct. 9.

HRW has asked the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, Egypt’s military rulers, to transfer investigation from the military to a fully independent and impartial investigatory body.

The violence began when about 1,000 Christian protesters convened a sit-in outside the state television building. The demonstrations were held in order to protest the recent attacks by Muslims on St. George Coptic Orthodox church, which is currently under construction, some 621 miles to the south of Cairo. more >>