Muslims riot over plans for Christian church in Cairo


from "Muslims riot over plans for Christian church in Cairo," Daily Mail

A riot broke out over plans to convert a building in a Cairo suburb into a Christian church on Sunday.

Muslims and Christians clashed in Mataria after worshippers arrived for a service at the site of the planned church.

One man died in Aswan on the same day during a separate riot over the police killing of a suspected criminal. It is believed he died after inhaling tear gas.

Police in Mataria intervened when large numbers of Muslims and Christians faced off over a building which the Christians want to convert into a church. The police then clashed mainly with the Muslim side, they said.

In Aswan, about 450 miles to the south, riot police used tear gas against civilians protesting that a policeman shot dead a man in the town on Saturday.

Police said the man was a wanted criminal but the man's relatives said a police officer killed him in error and then the police tried to cover up the incident, the sources said.

Thousands of people attended the funeral on Sunday, some chanting: 'Illegitimate government, unjust government.'(more)