Will religious violence tear Egypt apart?

Clashes between conservative Muslims and Coptic Christians are becoming one of the biggest threats to national unity in post-Mubarak Egypt

Coptic Christians chant pro-Christian slogans during the funeral for victims of Saturday's religious clashes in Cairo, Egypt, that killed 12
(Image credit: REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih)

Sectarian violence between Egyptian Muslims and Christians intensified over the weekend, triggering an emergency meeting of government ministers. The new government threatened to use an "iron fist" to stop the clashes between the Muslim majority and Coptic Christian minority, which have been on the rise since former President Hosni Mubarak's regime fell three months ago. Twelve people were killed Saturday in fighting outside a Cairo church, where Muslims believed a Christian woman was being held against her will because she wanted to convert to Islam. Will religious differences dash hopes of peaceful democracy in Egypt?

Yes, sectarian tensions could destroy the revolution: "Copts felt secure under Mubarak, who tightened his grip over Islamists," says Amro Hassan in the Los Angeles Times. Now radical Salafi Muslims are on a rampage, and they have burned down two Coptic churches since Mubarak fell. The interim military-led government has been preoccupied with economic and political problems, and now the unchecked religious feud is spinning out of control.

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