Six people were killed and over 70 wounded in clashes between Muslims and Christians outside a church in the Egyptian capital Cairo, media reported.
Saturday’s clashes started after a group of conservative Muslims attacked the St. Mena Coptic Orthodox Church in Cairo’s northwest to free a Christian woman allegedly being held against her will because she wanted to convert to Islam.
CNN quoted Egyptian Interior Ministry spokesman Alla Mahmoud as saying in a statement that 120 were injured in the violence. Al Jazeera’s report said 75 received injuries.
Muslims account for some 90% and Christians for about 10% of Egypt’s 80-million population.
Relations between the two communities are sometimes darkened by acts of violence, often over Muslims’ claims that Christian women who converted to Islam were kidnapped and forcibly held by Copts.
The Christian minority complains of unfair treatment in the country.
MOSCOW, May 8 (RIA Novosti)