The headline from Reuters,”Love rumour sparks Muslim-Christian clash in Egypt,” gives the impression of equal participation in the violence, which the article itself does not indicate.
CAIRO, Feb 13 (Reuters) – Groups of Egyptian Muslims set fire to Christian-owned shops in southern Egypt after hearing rumours of a love affair between a Muslim woman and a Coptic Christian man, security sources and a witness said on Tuesday.
Eight Muslim men were arrested in the town of Armant, around 600 km (375 miles) south of Cairo, on suspicion of taking part in arson attacks on four stores and a mini-van owned by Coptic Christians, the security sources said.
The rumours began on Saturday and calm was restored by Tuesday, with security forces deployed in the town as a precaution, one security official said.
Traditional Islamic law allows Muslim men to marry Christian women but not Christian men to marry Muslim women. Romances across the divide are one of the main sources of tension between Egypt’s two main religious communities.
Hala Botros, a Christian blogger from the region, said Copts in Armant were still scared to leave their homes.
“The situation has improved slightly but people go out only if they really have to,” Botros, who regularly reports attacks on Christians on her blog under the name Hala el-Masry, told Reuters by telephone.
El-Masry has also suffered persecution similar to that of fellow Egyptian blogger Abdelkareem Nabil Soliman, according to Reporters Without Borders.