Copts the Minya village of Saft al-Laban, some 250km south of Cairo, have been attacked by a Muslim mob upon a rumour that a Muslim was killed at the hands of Copts.
Copts the Minya village of Saft al-Laban, some 250km south of Cairo, have been attacked by a Muslim mob upon a rumour that a Muslim was killed at the hands of Copts.
The incident started with a fight Wednesday evening between two villagers, one a Muslim and the other a Copt, upon which the mosque imam, who is a well-known Muslim Brother, sent out a message through the mosque microphone that the Muslim had been killed by the “Nassaara”, a derogatory word used to describe Christians. He heatedly called upon the village Muslims to “defend Islam”. Upon which a Muslim mob gathered from Saft and neighbouring villages, and attacked Coptic houses. Five houses were burned and several others plundered; Watani does not have the exact figure of the plundered homes.
The police stepped in and contained matters. A curfew was imposed, but no culprits were caught.
Watani International
22 August 2013