«Sekterisk vold» er eufemismen på nyhetsspråket. Ifølge aina.org er det snakk om en av de alvorligste angrep på kristne i Egypt på lang tid, og det mest illevarslende er at hæren enten står som passiv tilskuer eller selv skyter på de kristne.

Myndighetene innførte nyhetsblackout igår. Men hendelsen var så alvorlig at det måtte rapporteres. Derfor gikk helsedepartementet ut med en melding om at ti er drept, men ikke hvem de drepte er. Det kan heller ikke nyhetsbyråene si.

Reuters versjon er antiseptisk, tåkelagt. Perspektivet er tilskuerens, på lang avstand.

Ten people were killed in violence between Egyptian Christian and Muslims, the health ministry said Wednesday, as sectarian tensions that appeared to evaporate in the country’s revolution resurfaced.
The violence in Cairo Tuesday night was the worst outbreak of sectarian strife since President Hosni Mubarak was swept from power on February 11 by a mass uprising characterized by solidarity between Christians and Muslims.
It was not immediately clear how many of the dead were Christian or Muslim. The violence had erupted following a protest by Christians over an arson attack on a church in Helwan south of Cairo.
The health ministry said 110 people were wounded in the violence, the state news agency reported.
The strife represents another challenge to the military rulers to whom Mubarak handed power, and who made restoring law and order a top priority.
Petrol bombs and rocks were thrown, witnesses said. At least one of the dead was a Christian who had been struck in the back by a bullet, but it was unclear who had fired it. The army had fired into the air at one point to disperse protesters.
The health ministry had earlier put the death toll at four.
Christians protesting over the attack on the church had blocked a main highway south of Cairo and violence started after Muslims who wanted to pass through clashed with the protesters, a security source said.
Coptic Christians make up about 10 percent of Egypt’s population of 80 million.
Islamists Tuesday protested outside the prime minister’s office over the case of two women who they believe are being held against their will in churches after converting to Islam.
(Writing by Tom Perry, editing by Peter Millership)

Aina.org har langt flere detaljer, og skildringen er følgelig langt mer dramatisk. Dette var et stort sammenstøt, både i antall og voldsbruk.

Bakgrunnen er at kristne siden lørdag har demonstrert utenfor TV-bygningen i Kairo med krav om at hæren tar de ansvarlige for overfallene og nedbrenningen av en kirke i landsbyen Soul in Atfif. Tirsdag ville en del koptere fra det som kalles Garbage City slutte seg til demonstrantene. Men det likte ikke muslimer i nærheten. De mobiliserte 15.000 mann! og kom væpnet.

The incident started when 500 Coptic demonstrators from Manshier Nasr, also known as «Garbage City,» which is near the Monastery, were on their way to join the Coptic protest near the Egyptian TV Building, to show their solidarity with the Copts of the village of Soul in Atfif, who were forcibly displaced from their village and their church torched (AINA 3-5-2011). Nearly 15,000 Muslims from the nearby area of Sayeda Aisha and Mokattam, who were armed with weapons including automatic guns, confronted the Copts.

The clashes first started with hurling of stones at the Coptic demonstrators, then Molotov Cocktails. According to eyewitnesses the Copts called the army which arrived at the scene at 15:00 with 10 tanks . At first the military stood by watching, then shot in the air, then at the Coptic side with live ammunition.

«We were at one side and the Muslim on the other, we have hundreds of injured at the Coptic side,» said an eyewitness. «The Muslims were also shooting from behind the army tanks.»

Noen ønsker å helle bensin på bålet, og finner øyensynlig respons blant massene. Man ikke la være å tenke på PEW-gallupen som viste utbredelsen av meget ekstreme og intolerante holdninger til annerledeshet blant egyptere flest, bare noen måneder før revolusjonen.

Attorney Wagih Anwar Abou Saad, an eyewitness, told Free Coptic Voice the army has been firing live ammunition on the Copts since 3 PM. «The army is protecting the Muslims, who sought shelter behind the army tanks,» he said.

Når hæren og heller ikke ambulansetjenesten ønsker å hjelpe kopterne som utsettes for overgrep, blir situasjonen stygg. Angriperne ser selvfølgelig at de kristne ikke får beskyttelse, og det øker deres aggresjon.

I dette tilfelle nektet ambulansene å komme for å hente sårede koptere.

First-aid was given to the injured in the clinic attached to the Monastery, «But there are only 3 doctors here, not enough to look after all the injured,» said the Church custodian. According to one of the doctors all injuries were caused by gun shots. The injured were transported by private persons to various hospitals around Cairo, as ambulances refused to respond to their calls.

Angrep på søppelsankerne

It was reported that Muslims stood at the head of the road and any garbage collecting vehicle belonging to Copts from «Garbage City» was confiscated and the owners beaten.

De kristne utgjør en sosial underklasse. En måte å overleve på har vært å fungere som søppelsankere og kildesortere. Kopterne foret opp griser med matavfallet. Men myndighetene benyttet svineinfluensaen som påskudd til å ta livet av alle grisene. De er urene dyr i muslimske øyne. Det var et symbolsk offer til islamistene. Men resultatet ble at kopterne fikk det enda vanskeligere.

Grisene ble til dels levende begravet, og den brutale framferden kan ha virket som et grønt lys til at kopterne og deres levevei er fritt vilt.

There was a media blackout on the incident. There are no reports of any Muslim casualties.

En måte for islamistene å vinne makt på er å piske opp en pogrom mot de kristne.

Hvordan vil USA og Europa reagere? Vil vestlige medier rapportere hva som skjer?

9 Christians Killed, 150 Injured in Attack By 15,000 Muslims and Egyptian Army