Egypt's Minya province flashpoint for Muslim-Christian violence
The political turmoil following the ouster of Mohammed Morsi last July has been felt the hardest in Minya in Upper Egypt, where Muslim-Christian violence is becoming frequent.
MINYA, Egypt — The Egyptian province of Minya has frequently been a flash point for sectarian violence between Muslims and Christians. A 2009 report by the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights specifically focused on sectarianism in Minya and on freedom of belief.
According to the report, Minya was a center of sectarian violence, whether related to the building of churches, the holding of Christian services, rumors about romantic affairs between Muslims and Christians, or cases of regular disputes that quickly turned to mob violence between Muslims and Christians. Violent incidents occurred in the villages of Dafesh in Smalout, al-Ismailiya in Minya and Gargawi in Matai, according to the report.
