Egypt's youth movement and the former IAEA chief, Mohamed ElBaradei, are calling for unity among compatriots after inter-faith clashes, over the weekend, brought into focus the threat posed by Salafi extremists to the nascent revolution.
Mr. ElBaradei's National Association for Change (NAS) and the April 6 Youth Movement have called for a Monday evening demonstration for unity in the wake of Saturday's sectarian clashes which left 12 people dead and 240 injured.
On Saturday, the Virgin Mary Church was attacked by suspected hard-line Muslim youth in Cairo's north-west district of Imbaba. Another set of youths also targeted an apartment building a short distance away, said eyewitnesses.
Rejecting the violence against Coptic Christians, Mr. ElBaradei, a presidential hopeful, on his Twitter account said: “Urgent measures required to combat religious extremism and intolerance before Egypt slides into the dark ages.”
Stung by the heavy violence, the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF), representing the military rulers, who are steering their country's political transition following exit of the former President,
Hosni Mubarak, have pledged to take harsh measures against miscreants. SCAF has said the 190 people arrested in the aftermath of the riots will now face military trials.
Egypt's Attorney-General Abdel Meguid Mahmoud said a team of prosecutors would be formed to investigate the cause of the clashes.
Despite the stated intolerance towards sectarian violence, hundreds of angry Copts in Cairo were agitating near the state television building on Sunday to draw attention to the perceived passivity of the armed forces.
