Cairo, Dec 23 (AFP) Hundreds of Egyptians ransacked achurch south of Cairo and called for it to be demolished, theregion's diocese said.
The attack on the church in Atfeh, 100 kilometres fromthe capital, took place on Friday after weekly Muslim prayers,the diocese said on its Facebook page.
Several churches, especially ones that have yet to belicenced by the government, have come under attack by localMuslims in the conservative south of the country.
The diocese said the Prince Tawadros church had been usedfor almost 15 years and had applied for a licence under a lawpassed last year meant to ease permits for new churches.
Hundreds of people massed in front of the building,chanting "hostile" slogans and calling for the church to bedemolished, it said.
"They stormed the place and destroyed what was inside it,after assaulting the Christians there," the diocese said.
Egypt's Coptic Christians comprise up to 10 percent ofthe country's 93 million people and are the Middle East'slargest religious minority.
They have come under sectarian attacks and been targetedby jihadists who have killed more than 100 people in churchbombings and shootings since last December. (AFP)CPS.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.