Christians clash with Egypt police for second day
CAIRO?? Several hundred Christians pelted police with rocks outside a Cairo hospital Monday in fresh clashes the day after 24 people died in riots that grew out of a Christian protest against a church attack.
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Sunday's sectarian violence was the worst in Egypt since the uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak in February.
Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf warned in a televised address that the riots were a setback on the country's already fraught transition to civilian rule after three decades of Mubarak's authoritarian government.
"These events have taken us back several steps," Sharaf said.
He blamed foreign meddling for the troubles, claiming it was part of a "dirty conspiracy."
Similar explanations for the troubles in Egypt are often heard from the military rulers who took power from Mubarak, perhaps at attempt to deflect accusations that they are bungling the management of the country.
"Instead of moving forward to build a modern state on democratic principles, we are back to seeking stability and searching for hidden hands ? domestic and foreign ? that meddle with the country's security and safety," Sharaf said.
Voting in the first election since Mubarak was ousted starts on Nov. 28 with candidates due to begin registering during the week starting Wednesday.
The Coptic Church, which has a significant following in Egypt, called for Copts to observe a worldwide, three-day fast beginning Tuesday, and also urged the authorities to look into the underlying causes of the protests, the al-Jazeera news network reported.
Story: Christians in Egypt fear Islamist pressureThe clashes Sunday night raged over a large section of downtown Cairo and drew in Christians, Muslims and security forces.
Christians took to the streets after blaming Muslim radicals for partially demolishing a church in Aswan province last week. They also demanded the sacking of the province's governor for failing to protect the building.
Army vehicle hit Christians
The violence began when about 1,000 Christian protesters tried to stage a sit-in outside the state television building along the Nile in downtown Cairo.
The protesters said they were attacked by "thugs" with sticks and the violence then spiraled out of control after a speeding military vehicle jumped up onto a sidewalk and rammed into some of the Christians.
Most of the 24 people killed were Coptic Christians, though officials said at least three soldiers were among the dead. Nearly 300 people were injured.
The army imposed a curfew on Cairo's Tahrir Square, the focus for protests that brought down Mubarak, and the downtown area. It was set from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. local time.
Pictures of smashed faces and dead bodies of what activists said were bodies run over by military vehicles circulated online, with angry comments comparing the violence used by the military to that of Mubarak's hated police in the uprising.
"What happened today is unprecedented in Egypt. 17 corpses crushed by military tanks," Hossam Bahgat, human rights activist tweeted from hospital. "I saw bodies missing hands and legs, heads twisted away or plastered to the ground."
The latest clashes Monday broke out outside the Coptic hospital where many of the Christian victims were taken the night before.
The screams of grieving women rang out from inside the hospital and some of the hundreds of men gathered outside held wooden crosses. Empty coffins were lined up outside the hospital.
There were no word on casualties from Monday's clashes.
'Betrayal, a conspiracy, murder'
The fighting added to growing frustration among activists. Many Egyptians suspect the army wants to keep hold of the reins of power from behind the scenes even as it hands over day-to-day government. The army denies this.
"This is a dark day in the military's history. This is betrayal, a conspiracy, murder," Magdy el-Serafy wrote on Twitter where he and other Egyptians voiced frustration at the army's handling of the protest.
Egypt's government cabinet called an emergency meeting for Monday, vowing the violence would not derail the election.
Christians, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt's 85 million people, blame the ruling military council for being too lenient on those behind a spate of anti-Christian attacks since Mubarak's ouster.
The chaotic power transition has left a security vacuum, and the Coptic Christian minority is particularly worried about a show of force by ultraconservative Islamists, known as Salafis.
The ruling military council led by Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, defense minister of 20 years under Mubarak's former regime, took over after the 18-day popular uprising forced Mubarak to step down.
The military initially pledged to hand back power to a civilian administration in six months, but that deadline has passed, with parliamentary elections now scheduled to start on Nov. 28.
According to a timetable floated by the generals, presidential elections could be held late next year.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44841995/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/
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