Clashes in Egypt between Muslims and Christians

From MSNBC:

CAIRO — Muslim-Christian clashes in the Egyptian capital Cairo have killed 11 people and wounded more than 90, security and hospital officials said on Wednesday.

The clashes broke out Tuesday night when a Muslim mob attacked thousands of Christians protesting against the burning of a Cairo church last week. Muslims torched the church amid an escalation of tensions between the two religious groups over a love affair between a Muslim and a Christian that set off a violent feud between the couple’s families.

According to Akbar Ahmed is Ibn Khaldun, Chair of Islamic Studies at American University and The Right Rev. John Bryson Chane, the Episcopal bishop of Washington (CNN Dec 22, 2010):

In Egypt, where Christians constitute 10% of the population, Christian girls are being kidnapped by shadowy Muslim groups and lured into Muslim marriages, with the state looking the other way. Christians in Egypt have no problem converting to Islam, but if Muslims want to convert to Christianity, they are refused permission to register as Christians on their ID cards, where religion must be stated. Riots are common, and Egyptian Christians live in fear for their lives.

Full story: 11 killed in Muslim-Christian clashes in Egypt – World news – Mideast/N. Africa – msnbc.com