Sectarian clashes erupt in Minya following village dispute

A new wave of sectarian violence broke out in the Upper Egyptian city of Minya following clashes in Yaacoub village on Tuesday, state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper reported.

Christians in the village told ONA, a privately owned news agency, that Muslims attacked the houses of Christians with Molotov cocktails when they heard of plans to turn one of the houses into a church.

Meanwhile, Al-Ahram gave a different account. According to the newspaper, the clashes started when a Muslim and a Christian farmer had an argument after their children fought. Attempts by villagers to reconcile the two failed, and one of the farmers, Nabil Awad, was reportedly hit on the head.

Security forces arrived on the scene and tried to disperse the crowds, arresting 11 people from both sides and cordoning off the village, Al-Ahram added.

According to ONA, Priest Morcos, who heads the Samallout branch of the Coptic church, said the situation is now stable in the village. He suggested the Christian community would apply for permission to build the church, in accordance with regulations.

In 2011, a policeman randomly shot six Copts in Samallout, killing one man and leading to protests and clashes with the police.

Minya has witnessed several sectarian clashes in the past, including violence in the village of Delga in the aftermath of the forced dispersal of pro-Brotherhood encampments demanding the reinstatement of Mohamed Morsi as president. The violence led to the vandalizing of several houses and the displacement of tens of families in the village. Clashes also erupted in the villages of Hawarta, Sheikh Obeid and Badraman.

Copts have long demanded the unequivocal right to build churches, which up until now have required presidential authorization.