2011 Imbaba church attacks

2011 Imbaba church attacks
LocationImbaba, Giza, Egypt
Coordinates30°04′34″N 31°12′32″E / 30.07615°N 31.208882°E / 30.07615; 31.208882
Date7 May 2011
16:00 local time (UTC+2)
TargetCoptic Christians
Attack type
Shooting and arson
Deaths15
Injured232
PerpetratorsSalafi Muslims

The 2011 Imbaba church attacks were a series of attacks that took place in Egypt on 7 May 2011 against Coptic Christian churches in the poor working-class neighborhood of Imbaba in Giza, near Cairo. The attacks were blamed on Salafi Muslims,[1] and the attacks began when the Muslims attacked the Coptic Orthodox church of Saint Mina, where they alleged a Christian woman was being held against her will because she wanted to convert to Islam.[2][3][4] The attacks resulted in the burning of 3 Coptic Orthodox churches, and the destruction of many Christian-owned houses and businesses. In addition, 15 people were killed in the attacks, and about 232 injured.[5][6][7][8][9][10] Among those killed were four Christians and six Muslims, while two other bodies were still unidentified.[11] Imbaba has been known to be a stronghold of Muslim fundamentalists since the 1970s, but also comprises a significant number of Coptic Christians.[9][12]

  1. ^ Egypt Sectarian Clash Leads To Multiple Deaths. Huffingtonpost.com (7 May 2011). Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  2. ^ "At least 6 dead in Egyptian sectarian violence". CNN. 8 May 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  3. ^ Samer al-Atrush (8 May 2011). "Nine killed in sectarian violence in Cairo". AFP. Archived from the original on 11 May 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  4. ^ Mohamed Fadel Fahmy and Ian Lee (8 May 2011). "Egyptian Copts, reeling from violence, want protection". CNN. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  5. ^ "Egypt to lift restrictions on building churches". Archived from the original on 25 November 2011.
  6. ^ "Egyptian Copts, reeling from violence, want protection". Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  7. ^ "الاف المصرييين في ميدان التحرير دفاعا عن الوحدة الوطنية". Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  8. ^ Ernesto Londono [1]"12 dead in Egypt as Christians and Muslims clash", 8 May 2011, Washington Post.
  9. ^ a b 9 قتلى و109 مصاباً في إشتباكات طائفية في مصر بسبب فتاة. Elaph.com. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  10. ^ At least 6 dead in Egyptian sectarian violence – CNN.com. Edition.cnn.com (8 May 2011). Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  11. ^ AFP: Egypt warns 'iron hand' to halt religious unrest. Google.com. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  12. ^ Cairo's Copts organize groups for self-defense | Al-Masry Al-Youm: Today's News from Egypt. Al-Masry Al-Youm (8 May 2011). Retrieved 12 May 2011.