By Heba Fahmy
CAIRO: Hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the state TV building on Monday, calling for the prosecution of those responsible for the clashes in Imbaba which left 12 dead.
Minor clashes erupted and lasted only for a few minutes at noon as rocks and bottles were thrown at protesters. No casualties were reported.
Protesters gave conflicting reports regarding the clashes as some claimed that rocks and bottles were thrown from the state TV building in order to disperse the protesters and force them to leave, while others claimed that a Muslim provoked the Coptic protesters, triggering the clashes.
“Our children are being killed, our daughters are being abducted and our churches are being burnt down,” a housewife who preferred to remain anonymous told Daily News Egypt.
“We want this grave injustice to end,” she said.
“How can Muslims try to break into a church?” 16-year-old Michael Naim asked. “God will protect our churches,” he added.
Some Muslims joined the mostly Coptic protesters and demanded that those responsible for the clashes be prosecuted.
“We are with you until the end,” a Muslim woman, Shaimaa Atteyya, told the Coptic protesters.
Mona Gamal, 25, told DNE, “The violence that took place in Imbaba is a crisis for all Egypt not just Copts.”
“We want a civil state where Muslims and Christians are one hand,” Nadia Shenouda, a housewife, told DNE.
“If we become weak because of sectarian tension, our enemies abroad will exploit the situation and take over the country,” Shenouda added.
The protesters accused Salafis, ultra conservative Muslims, of being behind the clashes in Imbaba.
“We want our rights back from the Sheikhs and Salafis that incited the recurring violence against us,” Samira, a housewife, told DNE.
“I want all the Salafis to be expelled from Egypt,” interior decorator Peter Sami told DNE.
The clashes in Imbaba were triggered by a rumor that a Christian woman who converted or want to convert to Islam was being held inside Marmina Church.
Some protesters accused the former regime of inciting Salafi extremists to start the clashes.
“The former regime can pay anyone with a loaf of bread to spread rumors, cause violence and label him a Salafi,” Gamal told DNE.
The protesters chanted against the army and Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, accusing them of colluding with the Salafis against Imbaba’s Coptic population.
Some Copts said that the Salafis attacked the church because Kamilia Shehata appeared on Coptic TV on Saturday and confirmed that she was a Christian.
Shehata, a priest’s wife, was said to have left her husband and converted to Islam. Muslim groups alleged that she was later kidnapped by the church and prevented from public appearances. The claim has for months sparked protests calling for her “release.”
Several protesters claimed that many Coptic women have been abducted by Salafis in the recent months and forced to convert to Islam, claims that could not be independently verified by DNE.
Bishop Flipoteer of Giza, who spent the night with the protesters said, “We filed a complaint to the Prosecutor General including the names of Salafis and Sheikhs responsible for inciting sectarian violence.”
“These people exploited the religious sentiments of modest Muslims and spread rumors causing violence,” he added.
“We believe that 95 percent of Egyptians including Muslims and Christians are moderate Egyptians, who love each other,” Filipoteer said.
Not all Salafis are violent extremists, he added.
