13 Christians held in Egypt
2007-12-19 10:38
Cairo - Egyptian authorities have arrested 13 Christians for collecting donations to rebuild a church without a valid permit, their lawyer told AFP on Tuesday.
"They were arrested on Monday and now face the charge of collecting donations without a permit," Hani Hanna Soliman told AFP.
The group, who work in a church in the southern city of Assiut, had been collecting money to rebuild a church in the town of Saqulta further south.
They raised suspicion in Saqulta when they asked a local resident where the nearest church was. The resident called police fearing a possible terrorist attack on a church, Soliman said.
Security services rushed to the scene, arrested the eight men and five women and deployed troops around the local churches.
After hours of investigation, the 13 were cleared of any terror related charges but were kept in detention for collecting donations without a valid permit, Soliman said.
Authorities are on high alert for any irregular activity around churches for fear of sectarian clashes.
On Sunday, seven Muslims were detained in Isna in southern Egypt after setting fire to a church and shops owned by Christians in retaliation for the alleged rape of a Muslim girl.
Egypt Christians account for an estimated six to 10% of the country's 76 million inhabitants and complain of systematic discrimination and harassment.
Restrictions on building churches have been one of the main grievances of the community.
In December 2005, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak issued a presidential decree easing the severe restrictions on repairing and rebuilding churches in Egypt.