CAIRO - Hand in hand Muslim and Coptic residents of Sol, a village in Atfeeh, Helwan Governorate, are today helping the Armed Forces rebuild a church that was partly destroyed almost two weeks ago. The village, which had been long unheard of, has recently grabbed the centre stage of media attention, following a sectarian conflict, which triggered clashes in Cairo leaving 13 dead. It was rumoured that a young Coptic man of the village was having an illicit affair with a Muslim woman; and the strife started when the girl's relatives, governed by conservative rural traditions, asked her father to take her life with his own hands. When he refused, a family feud broke out in which both the father and his nephew were killed, according to local villagers. Returning from their funeral, the grieving mourners were distracted by another rumour, which said that the young Coptic lover was hiding in the village Church of Al-Shahedein (Two Martyrs). A group of angry Muslims started searching the church where, it has been claimed, they found by coincidence a list of names of some Muslim inhabitants of the village. “News spread like wildfire about [black] magic being enacted inside the church against Muslims,” Mohamed Shalabi, a witness to the sectarian crisis told the press. This fanned the wrath of Muslims and prompted a group of young zealots to torch the church bringing down its walls. The scene of the devastated building and deadly acts of violence drove many Coptic families to flee the village, and together with thousands of other fellow Copts, to stage protests for nine consecutive days outside the State TV and Radio building on the Nile Corniche in central Cairo. Copts, who account for around 10 per cent of the population, have in the past few years been demanding equal citizenship rights. They have made certain complaints regarding the building of places of worship, parliamentary representation and appointment of Christians in key positions. Such calls have usually been heard loud and clear in recent years in the wake of sporadic sectarian attacks, which have upset the peaceful coexistence between Egyptians of both Muslim and Christian faiths. On this occasion, Coptic protesters chose not to gather outside a church for the first time to press for their demands, signalling a change of tune after the January 25 revolution. Copts, whose plight has attracted scores of Muslim supporters, have been steadfast in calling for guarantees that the perpetrators of the Sol incident would be duly punished. They urged that a fact-finding committee be formed to investigate why such lists of Muslim names were allegedly present inside the church. In the meantime, the situation in the village has remained tense for several days, although families there, whether Muslim or Coptic, have spoken extensively about the amiable relations they have had for years. As neighbours they have maintained mutual respect and exchange of interests. According to Fikri Milad of Sol, Muslim families are guarding their Coptic neighbours against the possibility of the thugs assaulting them who attacked villagers last week. “During my absence, I usually give the key of my home to my Muslim neighbour so that he will feed the poultry and the sheep”, he told Al-Shorouq Arabic daily newspaper. Atfeeh is a small town, which embraces four churches on its outskirts in addiction to Al-Shahedein Church in Sol, which falls within the town precincts. There are no reports that any other churches have been torched. Clerics of both faiths have actually played a major role in containing the situation and set the alarm regarding meddling hands that wish to see the revolution aborted by playing on sectarianism. The crowds gathering in front of the TV building agreed to suspend their sit-in sensing a genuine response on the part of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and the present acting Government in rebuilding the ruined church.
