St.Gergis: Three Killed, Dozens Wounded

Three demonstrators were killed during clashes with the police in the protest outside St. Gergis Church in Alexandria according to Reuters. The agency is also quoting the ministry of interior saying one demonstrator was killed; 20 police and 25 demonstrators were injured. More than 30 people were detained.

Police formed a cordon to prevent the crowd approaching St. George's church, prompting some of the demonstrators to try to storm another church nearby, the sources said, adding that dozens of police and protesters were injured in the clashes.

Also via Reuters: Coptic Bishop Armia has denied accusations that the play that caused the demonstration in any way insulted Islam, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported, as monitored by the BBC.

AFP says one demonstrator was killed; 20 police and 60 protesters were wounded; one protestor later succumbed to his injuries in hospital. One police car and six other vehicles were burned in the clashes

The Muslim protestors had earlier attacked the church and injured a passer-by, as they vented anger over the DVD release of a play produced by Saint Girgis two years ago they consider to be anti-Muslim.

The protests came three days after a man lightly wounded a nun with a knife at the entrance to the same church, and a man who came to her aid was stabbed in the back.

Pardon me for being blunt, but when 5,000 Muslims in one of the most peaceful countries in the Middle East are attacking churches; torching vehicles and are hurting innocent passersby, we may excuse the people in the west for 'always having the wrong impression' about Muslims and Islam. And this is about a two year old DVD record. A nun is stabbed. Since when did Muslims stop honoring the sancity of the house of God? By what right? In Ramadan?

If the remaining peace-loving people of Alexandria have any character, they ought to gather en-masse outside St. Girgis and keep a 24-hour vigil for weeks or months if necessary, to prevent further attacks and to prove that this outrageous behaviour never was, and never will be, accepted in Egypt.

The sad fact is, they would never do anything like it, they would never consider it. That's another shame we have to live with.

Peace. Enjoy Ramadan.