Egypt's prime minister has called an urgent cabinet meeting
following fatal clashes between Muslims and Christians in
Cairo overnight, state media says.
Essam Sharaf has postponed a visit to the Gulf in order
to discuss the violence that left nine people dead
and more than 50 wounded.
The clashes broke out after several hundred
conservative Muslims gathered
at a church in Imbaba district.
They alleged a woman convert to Islam
was being held there against her will.
What began as an exchange of words
between protesters, church guards
and people living nearby developed
into a fully-fledged confrontation involving
gunfire, firebombs and stone-throwing.
The church and some nearby homes were set alight,
and it and it took some hours for the emergency services
and the military to bring the situation under control.
The recurrence of yet another serious outbreak
of communal violence – as the military government leads
a faltering transition to democracy – is a worrying
development for Egypt,
the BBC's Jonathan Head in Cairo says
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