Death toll from Egypt's religious strife climbs to 13

May 11, 2011, 13:32 GMT

Cairo - The death toll from Egypt's interfaith strife rose to 13 after a man died of injuries in a Cairo hospital on Wednesday, according to a health official.

According to the Health Ministry official speaking to the German Press Agency dpa, the man was brought into the intensive care unit Saturday night, after clashes in the western Cairo suburb of Imbaba left some 230 people injured, with dozens in critical condition.

The violence between ultraconservative Muslim Salafists, Coptic Christians and others first erupted when Islamists marched to a church in Imbaba, where they believed that a young woman was being held hostage, possibly in an effort to get her to revoke a conversion to Islam.

The woman at the centre of the storm, Abeer Fakhry, later handed herself in to the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF), which has been in control of the country since former president Hosny Mubarak stepped down in February.

Egypt's Daily News reported that Fakhry posted an online video confirming she had been held in the Imbaba church against her will for converting to Islam.

Meanwhile, broadcaster Al Arabiya cited a source from the military council blamed remnants of Mubarak's regime for inciting the unrest in a bid to stir chaos in the country.

Security sources quoted in state media have also said that thugs, and not Salafists, were responsible for burning a church in Imbaba during Saturday night's clashes.

The Egyptian military on Tuesday began work on restoration of Imbaba's burnt-out church, according to witnesses.

More than 200 people have been arrested since the unrest erupted, with an additional 21 detained on Wednesday, according to state media.

Those previously detained for their involvement in the clashes were referred to military courts, despite calls by rights groups to try them in civilian criminal courts.

Activists have called for a million-person protest on Friday in Tahrir Square to call for a show of unity between all Egyptians.

Coptic Christians make up between 10 to 15 per cent of the country's population, which is predominantly Muslim.

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