Their ABC describes Muslim Savages attacks on Coptic Christians as "Religious tensions"

Religious tensions flare in Egypt

Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Broadcast: 10/04/2013
Reporter: Matt Brown

The Coptic Christian Pope has launched an attack on Egypt's Islamist President, Mohammed Mursi saying he failed to prevent deaths when Muslims and Christians clashed in the streets of Cairo.

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Transcript
TONY JONES, PRESENTER: Religious tensions in Egypt have entered a new and dangerous phrase. The country's Coptic Christian Pope has launched an extraordinary attack on the Islamist President Mohamed Mursi. Christians say the Government didn't protect them when they were attacked by a mob that included many of the President's supporters. Five Christians and two Muslims were killed in the riots at the weekend. From Cairo, Middle East correspondent Matt Brown reports.

MATT BROWN, REPORTER: In Cairo's back streets, there's an overwhelming sense of unease. In this Coptic Christian household, Simone Hosni Rashid is recovering from the loss of an eye, her face peppered by bird shot from a gun fired by her Muslim neighbour. But she says she has no ill will towards Muslims. Instead, she blames Egypt's Islamist President Mohamed Mursi. 

SIMONE HOSNI RASHID (voiceover translation): Unfortunately, there is no security or safety and there won't be for along as Mursi continues to rule.

MATT BROWN: It happened as Simone was looking down at her neighbour's wedding in the alley below and he let off a celebratory blast of gunfire. The family insists it was just a stupid accident, not about religion. They say Simone's tragedy is part of a bigger picture of chaos and lawlessness since the fall of the dictator Hosni Mubarak, the rise of the Islamists who replaced him and the bitter dispute with their opponents. The girl's plight epitomises the chaos and confusion engulfing Egypt. 

SANURA IBRAHIM, AUNT (voiceover translation): No-one is guaranteeing security. Anyone can carry a gun and fire it. Those in charge are not running the country properly. 

MATT BROWN: A few blocks away, however, the mourners see a more worrying trend. The spectre of sectarian violence between Muslims and Christians cannot be denied. 

In the Coptic Christian church on Cairo's outskirts, the Hanna family is mourning the loss of their son Mahrous, killed in clashes with a Muslim mob. He was shot in the neck, the fifth Coptic Christian to die in two days of bloodshed over the weekend.

UM ROMANI, MOTHER (voiceover translation): I'm afraid for my children. I don't know what to do now.

MATT BROWN: The Coptic Pope has accused Egypt's Islamist President, Mohamed Mursi, of negligence over the deaths. That's a rare and pointed criticism highlighting the mistrust between the two communities.

UM ROMANI (voiceover translation): Our neighbourhood is usually OK, but now I have no sense of the security.

MATT BROWN: The blood-letting began after Muslim buildings were defaced last week, leading to clashes in which four Christians and at least one Muslim were killed. Then at a service in the Coptic cathedral on Sunday, carried live on television, mourners chanted slogans denouncing the Muslim Brotherhood, the support base for President Mursi.

When the mourners emerged, an angry mob was waiting for them. Mahrous Hana and another man, thought to be a local Muslim, were killed.

ABUNE BAKHOUM, COPTIC PRIEST (voiceover translation): This made people very afraid, even in their own homes. The police did not do enough to protect us.

MATT BROWN: Christian members of Egypt's Upper House say the Interior Minister must resign. The President has promised a full investigation. While 30 people have reportedly been questioned, the violence has opened an already-inflamed wound in Egyptian society. 

From the priests all the way up to the President, official words are about tolerance and cooperation. But for many in this community, fear has become fact and it's a bad omen for Egypt's future. 

Matt Brown, Lateline.