World
        

Society

Eight killed, 109 injured in Cairo sectarian clash

Updated: 2011-05-08 12:37

(Xinhua)

Twitter Facebook Myspace Yahoo! Linkedin Mixx

CAIRO - At least eight people were killed and 109 others were injured after Muslims and Coptics clashed Saturday in an area west of Egyptian capital Cairo, officials said.

The incident happened in the Embaba district of Giza when angry Muslims headed to a church where a Coptic girl was held inside, Giza Governor Ali Abdel Rahman was quoted by state TV as saying. Security and armed forces were deployed to disperse the fighting sects, he added.

According to local media reports, the girl's marriage to a Muslim man sparked the confrontation, which involved firearms, Molotov cocktails and stones. The MENA official news agency was reporting that the injured were sent to area hosptials for treatment.

Coptics, who account for about 10 percent of Egypt's population, generally live peacefully with the country's Muslim majority, but sporadic violence between the two sides do occur due to construction of churches or romantic affairs between worshippers of the two groups.

E-paper

War of the roses

European Chinese rose growers are beating their Chinese rivals at their own game

High-tech park gets big boost
At the source
Merchant of Venice

European Edition

Specials

2011 Sino-US Dialogue

China and the United States will hold the third round of the Strategic and Economic Dialogue from May 9-10 in Washington.

High-tech park gets big boost

Zhongguancun sets sights on being one of the top technology hubs in the world

Learning to close the gap

Thousands of students have benefited from Tibet middle school program set up outside the autonomous region

The Cixi story
Garbage problem
Bin Laden dead