Egypt: At least 7 killed in Muslim-Christian sectarian violence

USPA News - At least seven people have been killed after sectarian violence between Muslims and Christians broke out in northeastern Egypt, local media reported Thursday. The violence was reported from the village of Al-Khosous located in Qalioubiy Governate, north of Cairo, which broke out last Saturday after Copts, or native Christian, children painted crosses on a wall of an Islamic institute and was considered offensive.

Members of both groups violently clashed with firearms, as several shops and buildings were set on fire. Four Christians and one Muslim were killed in the clashes, according to Ahram Online. Clashes spread toward Cairo on Sunday, at the St. Mark`s Coptic Cathedral in the district of Abbasiya, where at least two people were killed during the funeral ceremony for four Copts previously killed in the Al-Khosous violence. However, other media outlets reported as many as nine killed in the violence, which has sparked concern that the renewed violence could divide the country.