Shops belonging to Christians torched in EgyptJanuary 18, 2013 - 17:19 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of Muslim protesters outside a church in southern Egypt Friday, Jan 18. The demonstrators were demanding an investigation into allegations that a Christian man sexually assaulted a 6-year-old girl, The Associated Press reported. Residents in the province of Qena said four shops owned by Coptic Christians were torched overnight after villagers accused one of the store owners of molesting the young girl. The clashes took place in the village of Marashda in Qena province. Residents said protesters threw stones at the local church after midday Friday Islamic prayers. Police fired tear gas to scatter the crowd, which is in one of Egypt's poorest areas. Qena security director Gen. Salah Mazid was quoted in state media saying that police are investigating the accusations against the merchant. Flare-ups of violence between Egypt's Christians and Muslims have become more frequent in the past two years in the wake of the country's uprising that ousted longtime President Hosni Mubarak but also weakened security across the nation. Egyptian Christians fear that the power vacuum that has followed Mubarak's overthrow is giving ultraconservatives and extremist Muslims a freer hand to attack churches and Coptic property, especially in poor areas of the nation. Egypt's Coptic Christians, who make up about 10 percent of the country's 85 million people, have long complained of discrimination by the state. They are the largest Christian community in the Middle East. Clashes between Copts and Muslims are usually sparked by church construction, land disputes or Muslim-Christian love affairs. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |