Egyptians protest, say church play against Islam

CAIRO (Reuters) - Three demonstrators were killed when thousands of people protested on Friday near a church in the Egyptian city of Alexandria over the staging of a play they said was offensive to Islam, security sources said.

The demonstrators were killed during clashes between police and the more than 5,000-strong crowd which had gathered near St. George's Coptic church in the Mediterranean port city after Muslim prayers, the sources said.

Police used teargas to try to disperse the crowd, which had pelted police with stones and which regrouped on several occasions after prayer times through the day and evening, the sources said. They said protests continued late into the night.

Police formed a cordon to prevent the crowd approaching St. George's church, prompting some of the demonstrators to try to storm another church nearby, the sources said, adding that dozens of police and protesters were injured in the clashes.

Coptic Bishop Armia denied accusations the play insulted Islam, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported, as monitored by the BBC.

"Copts would never tolerate anyone insulting Islam," Bishop Armia was quoted as saying.

He did not give details about the play or what it was about. Coptic officials could not be independently reached for comment.

Copts make up about 5 percent to 10 percent of Egypt's mainly Muslim population of 72 million people.

The Interior Ministry had earlier said in a statement that one demonstrator had died in the crush and 20 police and 25 demonstrators had been injured. The statement said 35 people had been detained.

The statement also said protesters also torched a police vehicle and a private vehicle and several shops in the area.

It was the second mass protest over the play in the past week and came two days after a young man stabbed a nun and a man. Their injuries were not serious and the attacker was arrested, the security sources said.

Relations between the two communities are generally peaceful but tensions sometimes flare. In 1999, 22 people were killed in sectarian strife in the southern village of Kosheh but such incidents are rare and are usually sparked by local disputes.