EGYPT: Fire and rage

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Sectarian violence rocked a town in Upper Egypt this week as Muslims set Coptic-owned stores on fire and threw stones on a church.

The violence erupted in the wake of reports that two Copts pulled down the niqab (veil) of a Muslim woman, which provoked many Muslims in Isna town, around 600 kilometers south of Cairo.

This city has recently witnessed skirmishes between Copts and Muslims on the heels of rumors that a group of Copts attempted to kidnap and sexually assault a Muslim girl. In fact, sectarian violence has been common in Egypt since the 1970’s.

Most Copts, who comprise between 6% and 10% of the population, relate the rise of sectarian tension to the spread of religiously-fundamental fervor among Muslims.

— Noha El-Hennawy in Cairo