Muslims in the village of Sultan Basha uprooted Christians’ crops on 24 August after police intervened to stop demonstrators opposing the granting of legal status to a church building in the village.
Muslim villagers gathered outside the church in Sultan Basha, around 150 miles south of Cairo. Police intervened and reportedly caught three Muslims who had damaged CCTV cameras on the church wall and gate, and warned the mob against perpetrating further violence. Local Muslims then uprooted Christians’ crops and damaged irrigation pumps.
The Christian community in Sultan Basha have faced violent opposition from local Muslims since they applied for their church building to receive legal status. Local Muslims previously held three days of demonstrations in July against the granting of legal status to the church building. The 400-strong Christian community in Sultan Basha have applied for legal status for the building, which has already been used to hold church meetings for around eight years.
