CAIRO – Egypt's military-led government faced a major challenge
after two days of clashes between Muslims and Christians in which state media
reported 12 people died and 238 were injured.
Egypt's worst sectarian strife since 13 people died on March 9 when a church
was burned was triggered by rumors Christians had abducted a woman who converted
to Islam.
The army said that 190 people would be tried in military courts over the
violence that erupted on Saturday.
On Sunday, hundreds of young Christian men ran through central Cairo toward
the main state television building calling for the removal of Field Marshal
Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, who leads the military council ruling Egypt since the
overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak in February.
A crowd of Muslim men met them and some sought to calm the Christians' anger
but fights broke out and the two groups pelted each other with stones. The state
news agency MENA said 42 people were injured in the fighting.
The clashes later died down, but hundreds of protesters remained in the area
late into the night.
Authorities stationed military vehicles near churches in the Cairo suburb of
Imbaba on Sunday after a dozen people died in clashes between Christians and
Muslims there the previous day, witnesses said.
Injured Muslims and Christians being treated in hospital showed reporters
small holes that looked like shotgun wounds. State media said on Sunday 12 died
and 238 were wounded. Medical sources said 65 of the injured were shot. Reuters
