32. 5 Killed in Muslim-Christian Clashes in Egypt

http://world.time.com/2013/04/06/5-killed-in-muslim-christian-clashes-in-egypt/

In Egypt Saturday morning, a fight broke out between Muslims and Christians in a town called Khosoos, about 20 kilometers from Cairo. Security officials report that the conflict left five people dead, four Christians and a Muslim. Investigators are still waiting for an autopsy to confirm how they died. President Mohammed Mori’s office condemned the violence in a statement recently released. Since the revolts in 2011, there has not been a strong police force making attacks more common. Police say that the conflict began when a young Muslim drew inflammatory symbols on a mosque and an Islamic institute. Both Christian and Muslim onlookers soon started to argue and eventually gun wielding residents began to fire at each other. However, the citizens interviewed by the Associated Press gave a different reason and that police arrived hours after the fight had ended. Some of the residents say that the feuding families started the violent clash. Yet, other residents say that the fight began when a woman was harassed verbally in the street. Fights also started near a church which is now closed and guarded by police. According to a Christian resident named Atef Atta, “Police fired tear gas and we all left…Christians are always victims and the government doesn’t do anything.” The Coptic Christians, who make up 10 percent of Egypt’s 85 million people, have been complaining of discrimination by the state. In the Middle East, they are the largest Christian community. The violence even brought condemnation from the Muslim Brotherhood’s president.  In an email from Saad el-Katatni from the Freedom and Justice Party, it said, “Security authorities should take all measures to resolve the problem and religious figures should intervene to end the tension.” Still, Egyptian Christians fear that political tension, lack of security, and incendiary statements by some conservative Islamic clerics give extremist a “freer hand” to attack churches.

The author, Mariam Rizk, uses her article to inform curious readers about the recent events taking place in Egypt. She goes back and talks about tensions under the regime of Hosni Mubarak and a bomb that killed Coptic worshipers weeks before the 2011 uprising to connect with the recent predicament. Rizk uses a variety of sources to gain information. There is a report by the Associated Press with a different story than previously given. Three different stories are told in the article. There are even eyewitness accounts and an email from Freedom and Justice Party Chairman Saad el-Katatni. Rizk also uses a percentage to show how many Coptic Christians are in Egypt.