“Sectarian violence seen on the march in Egypt,” from AP, with thanks to all who sent this in:
CAIRO — Egypt’s latest bloodletting between Christians and Muslims has many fearing an explosion of sectarian violence in the Arab world’s most populous country, fueled by frustration with plummeting living standards.
Increasingly radicalized Muslims, facing growing unemployment, have found it easier to take out their anger on the small Christian minority than confront the government of President Hosni Mubarak, social commentators say….
The latest clashes erupted last Friday with knife attacks at three Coptic Christian churches in the port city of Alexandria. Three days of rioting by Christians and Muslims followed. Two persons — a Christian and a Muslim — died, at least 40 were wounded and more than 100 were detained….
“The strife didn’t start yesterday in Egypt, or a quarter of a century ago in Lebanon, or three years ago in Iraq,” columnist Khairy Mansour wrote in United Arab Emirates’ al-Khaleej daily. “The worm has been growing inside the apple, eating up most of its fabric.”
Mr. Mubarak’s government contends that conflict between Egypt’s Christians and Muslims is rare and called the Muslim man arrested in last Friday’s stabbing of Coptic worshippers “deranged.”
“Egyptian people don’t distinguish between Muslims and Copts, and no force can affect its national unity,” Mr. Mubarak said Tuesday.
Sure, Hosni. Tell us another.