Protesters returned to the square calling for national unity after attacks on Egyptian churches, and solidarity with the Palestinians
Protesters returned to the square calling for national unity after attacks on Egyptian churches, and solidarity with the Palestinians
ADVERTISEMENT
Just like a wavin' flag: A demonstrator waves Egyptianu00a0and Palestinian
flags amid a sea of people at Cairo's Tahrir Square. Pic/AFP
Meanwhile, a few hundred Copts staged a sit-in outside the state television headquarters, calling for justice over the weekend's sectarian violence. Footage from Tahrir Square showed people waving Palestinian flags and banners with slogans for Egyptian national unity.
Call for Gaza march
Activists have called for a march to neighbouring Gaza at the weekend, to protest against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories. The interior ministry has urged them to cancel the march and Khaled Meshaal, the head of the political bureau of Hamas, said that for the time being, Egyptians are not "required" to march to the Gaza Strip in support of the Palestinian cause.
Sectarian clashes erupted in Cairo last Saturday after Muslims surrounded a church demanding the handover of a woman they said Christians had detained after she converted to Islam. Another church was set on fire and in addition to those killed, scores were wounded. The unrest prompted the military to arrest more than 200 people.
The young Egyptian woman who was the source of the dispute was arrested last Thursday and charged with marrying more than one husband, a judicial source said. Abeer Talaat Fakhry (26) was living with her Christian husband in the southern city of Assiut when she ran away from home, converted to Islam and informally married Muslim Yassin Thabet.
The violence was been blamed on Salafists, members of a hardline, puritanical Islamic movement. Tensions have been building for the past year, as Salafists protested the alleged abduction by the Coptic Church of a priest's wife, Camilla Shehata. The Salafists claim she converted to Islam to escape an unhappy marriage, a phenomenon they maintain is common.
Wife detained
Meanwhile, Egyptian authorities on Friday ordered the detention of Suzanne , wife of Hosni Mubarak, the deposed president, a government-run news agency reported. The move came a day after the government said the former first coupleu00a0 were questioned over suspicions they illegally amassed vast wealth. Mubarak is being held in "preventative detention" in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. Prosecutors ordered Suzanne detained for 15 days. She was asked about the $3.3 million held in her name in a Cairo bank and a luxurious home. Essam al-Gohari, who heads the illicit gains authority, "ordered the detention of former president Hosni Mubarak for 15 days following questioning in Sharm el-Sheikh that lasted three hours, over accusations of the illegal acquisition of wealth", the agency said. This was the first time the former first lady has been questioned.
"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels 
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
