Violent Clashes Erupt Between Egypt's Christians, Police

As you may know, over the weekend Egypt erupted with violence and many Christians were harmed and some killed.  Today our friends at Mission Network News are revealing a call to fast and pray for Egypt.  Click here to read the full story.

Egypt (MNN) ? Tension between Muslims and minority Christians have simmered for years. In the days since the Mubarak revolt, those tensions have erupted numerous times since the president is no longer able to repress the more Salafist-leaning groups.

Terry Ascott is CEO of SAT-7, a Christian satellite television ministry to the Middle East and North Africa.  He says the most recent explosion came from a fairly low-key stimulus. "This particular one began with a dispute over the height of a reconstructed church, and ultimately led to the destruction of the church."

It didn't stay small for long. "Christians went into Tahrir Square and there were a lot of protests. That was met with an unusual level of violence from the military, from the police--more than we've seen in recent days, although they have been getting tougher against demonstrators. That, of course, led to a cycle of violence."

As a result, massive clashes raged over the weekend between infuriated Christians, Muslims, and Egyptian security forces. 24 people were killed in the violence. Ascott thinks these situations will be a recurring part of the landscape. "It just reflects the pent-up frustration and the bad will by a minority of Muslim peoples that want to marginalize Christians and to keep them 'in their place.'"

That could be especially true with the upcoming vote. "The big question is: What happens if the elections go ahead in November if the Salafists get into power, if they use that power to shape the new Constitution in Egypt so that it is based more on Sharia, on Islamic law?'"

Religious rights watchdog groups have been expressing concerns like this since the uprisings began at the beginning of the Arab Spring. Currently, there are some who blame the country's ruling military council for being too lenient on those behind a spate of anti-Christian attacks since Mubarak's ouster.

It boils down to being treated as second-class citizens. Ascott explains, "One of the key issues here [is that] Christians are being treated as a minority--to be protected, perhaps, but not to have equal rights with Muslims in the country. This is, of course, based on the Islamic code, not on the national Constitution."