Christians in Egypt face violence

08 April, 2013 - Tensions between Christian and Islamic groups in Egypt is growing with six dead since Friday. Violence flared on Friday in Khosous, on the outskirts of Cairo, with graffiti on the wall of an Islamic building blamed on Christians. Some buildings of the Christian community were torched with anti-Christian slogans. As a result, four Christians were killed along with a Muslim. At the funeral of the Christian victims, held on Sunday in the Cathedral of St. Mark in Cairo, another Christian was killed and at least 80 were injured after the funeral procession was attacked by unidentified groups. A liberal opposition group, the Popular Current, said the clashes were symptomatic of the failure of the state to protect its citizens, calling on Islamist President Mohammed Morsi and his government to resign. Morsi, who said he spoke to Coptic Pope Tawadros II by phone, condemned the violence, saying he considered any attack on the cathedral as an attack against him personally. He gave orders to authorities to guard the cathedral and citizens in the area, adding that protecting the lives of Muslims and Christians was a state responsibility. The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed al-Tayyeb has denounced the clashes and sent his representatives to the area to calm the situation.