Muslims have burned down 23 houses belonging to Coptic Christians near Luxor, Egypt, after a fight today between a Muslim man and three of his Christian friends. According to residents, the fight that left the Muslim man dead and one of the Copts hospitalized was not religious or political.
But that didn’t stop Muslim youth from initially setting three Copt houses ablaze and now that number has increased to 23 houses as security troops try and stop the violence:
EGYPT INDEPENDENT – The situation has heated up in Naga Hassan village, west of Luxor, after the killing of a Muslim man and the injury of a Copt on Friday.
The number of houses belonging to Copts that have been burned is now 23. Police fired teargas bombs to stop the clashes.
Police are protecting dozens of Copts at the police station near the area where the clashes are taking place. Security has been enhanced around Dabe’iya church, for fear of an attack. The police and military troops have exerted a huge effort to end the clashes.
An earlier article described how the violence began:
EGYPT INDEPENDENT – A Muslim man was killed, a Coptic man was injured, and three houses were burned early Friday as sectarian clashes erupted in Naga Hassan, near al-Dabe’iy, west of Luxor.
Luxor security chief Major General Khaled Mamdouh has been notified of Hassan Sayyed Sedqy’s death and Magdy Iskandar Farid’s injury. The latter was transferred to Luxor International Hospital in critical condition. The fight erupted between Sedqy, a Muslim, and three Copts. The Copts killed Sedqy and ran away.
Muslim youth in the village then attacked Farid and burned three houses belonging to Copts.
Residents said that the incident was sparked by a conflict between Sedqy and his Coptic friends, and that it did not have any religious or political dimension.
Security troops were deployed to the area. Firefighters and civil protection forces were also present, fearing a relapse of violence.