Violent clashes
May 15, 2011
The leader of Egypt's Coptic Church on Sunday called on Christians to end a sit-in in Cairo after violence on Saturday night left at least 65 injured.
"There have been scuffles and shooting and all this harms the reputation of Egypt as well as your reputation and so you must end this sit-in immediately," Pope Shenuda III said in a statement carried by the official MENA news agency.
"What is happening does not please anyone... but you are the losers if this sit-in continues," he said.
The statement came after at least 65 people were wounded in overnight clashes between Muslim youth and protesting Christians in the center of the Egyptian capital.
Recurring problem
Some of the attackers threw Molotov cocktails at the protesters, who responded by throwing rocks. Most of the injured suffered bruises and broken bones, according to the health ministry.
Some reports suggest the trouble started after the protesters refused to allow a vehicle to pass through the area.
The Christian demonstrators have been holding the sit-in outside of the state television building for the past week demanding an end to discrimination.
The protest action began on May 7 after clashes between Muslims and Christians left 15 dead and a church set on fire.
While violence between Muslims and Christians was once sporadic, it has become a recurrent problem in recent months.
Coptic Christians make up around 10 percent of Egypt's population. The say they are discriminated against on the basis of their religion and are often the target of sectarian attacks.
Author: Chuck Penfold (dpa, AFP, AP)
Editor: Kyle James