WASHINGTON/OTTAWA: US and Canadian officials condemned on Monday sectarian violence in Egypt that caused 12 deaths and 232 injuries, urging authorities to exercise self-restraint and to conduct a full investigation.
"We call for calm and underscore our support for the Egyptians who, in the spirit of unity that followed the January 25 Revolution, reject religious violence," said US Embassy in Cairo in a statement released on Sunday.
"We welcome the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces’ commitment to punish those responsible. A full and transparent investigation should be conducted and violations of the law should be prosecuted appropriately according to international standards," the statement added.
"We stand behind the Coptic Christian community and their right to practice their faith in safety and security, free of persecution," Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement. "This is a universal human right and one which our government is committed to defending."
Harper expressed his "deepest condolences" to the families of those killed and noted the "difficult challenges ahead" for Egypt.
He reminded that his conservatives, winners of the recent legislative elections, had pledged to create a "special Office of Religious Freedom."
US State Department spokesman Mark Toner voiced support for the Egyptians who rejected religious violence when they staged pro-democracy protests that led to Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak’s overthrow in February.
Fierce clashes broke out Saturday between Christians and Muslims in northwest Cairo’s working-class district of Imbaba where 12 people were killed, 232 injured and a church set ablaze.
Six Muslims and four Christians were among the dead, while two bodies were still unidentified.
The two groups clashed after Muslims attacked the Coptic church of Saint Mena in Imbaba to free a Christian woman they alleged was being held against her will because she wanted to convert to Islam.
