A mob has reportedly attacked the houses owned by Coptic Christians after they complained about a group of young men swimming naked in a canal outside their homes in Upper Egypt's Beni Suef governorate.
According to World Watch Monitor, the attack was carried out by a Muslim mob on the homes of Christians in the village of Tarshoub on June 4.
'A Muslim mob gathered around the homes of Christians across the canal and began pelting them with bricks and stones, while shouting 'Allahu akbar' [Allah is the greatest] and chanting slogans against Copts,' Coptic resident named Nashaat Ezzat told World Watch Monitor.
'They broke the windows and doors of some houses, looted and destroyed some properties,' the resident added.
Ezzat said six Copts sustained injuries that required stitches to the head. Seven Copts and two Muslims were reportedly arrested in connection with the incident, but were released after five days.
The police reportedly arrested the Copts in a bid to persuade them to reconcile with the Muslim mob. Another resident of the village, Fadi Fathi, said that the Christians attended a reconciliation session in the village on June 8.
As part of an agreement signed by the two communities, parties that carry out an attack on the other will be required to pay a fine of 250,000 EGP (US$14,000).
Christians in Egypt have reportedly been pressured to sign conciliation agreements following attacks from Muslim villagers.
In April, nine Copts were arrested along with 11 Muslims after a mob attacked the Church of the Holy Virgin and Pope Kyrillos in Beni Meinin, Beni Suef.
The attack reportedly took place after the Coptic Christians applied for legal recognition for the church.
The State Security Court handed down one-year suspended sentences to the two groups for mob action, fighting and possession of unlicensed firearms.
However, Beni Suef's Misdemeanor Court acquitted both the Copts and the Muslims after they agreed to the terms of a conciliation agreement, involving Muslim and Coptic clergy, village elders, local politicians and security officials.
As part of the agreement, the church will remain closed until it obtains its legal status, prohibiting the Copts from conducting wedding and funeral services.
Some Egyptian Christians have raised objections to conciliation processes.
Revd. Dr. Andrea Zaki, the head of Egypt's Protestant Church, called on Christians to avoid participating in reconciliation sessions, arguing that it renders the law 'absent.'
