AFP PHOTO/TAREK EL GABBAS
Dozens of Copts continued protests in front of the presidential palace in Heliopolis Sunday evening, in reaction to events in Dahshur that prompted Christian families to leave the village in the Giza governorate. The protesters chanted against President Mohamed Morsy and the Muslim Brotherhood’s Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie.
Giza’s public relations department released a statement Sunday saying the Governor of Giza, Dr Ali Abdel Rahman, had implemented the mandates issued by President Morsy to form a committee responsible for surveying damage resulting from clashes in Dahshur. The committee undertook measures to assess damages to shops and homes in order to compensate residents for lost property. The governorate will then be responsible for assembling a report to present to judicial authorities.
The committee was formed by Deputy Governor Osama Shamaa and will be attended by both the head the municipality of Badrasheen and its officer of housing.
The statement closes saying “the commission will intensify its work to complete an inventory of the damage according to the genuine reality… and support efforts for reconciliation between the two sides, making every effort to contain the crisis and fully cooperate with security forces in the return of stability to the village.”
The committee, which began its work on Sunday, released preliminary findings of the destruction of six Copt-owned businesses and the looting of 22 homes.
Ten men suspected of looting were taken into custody and Giza police arrested a man they claim was a central force behind the clashes.
Many parties including the Coptic Orthodox Church condemned escalations in Dahshur that resulted in Christian families fleeing the village for their safety. Although President Morsy and the Muslim Brotherhood have spoken out against the violence, both parties claim that the clash is not an example of “sectarianism” as the initial spark was a nonreligious feud between two people.
The committee has set no timeline for the completion of the investigation, but Abdel Rahmanhas stressed that the group will work with urgency to put together a complete report with findings.
The clashes resulted in the death of a Muslim man and the displacement of scores of Christian families, who are waiting for sufficient security before moving back to their homes.
