Muslim mob attacks unlicensed Coptic church in Egypt

Hundreds of Muslim demonstrators reportedly stormed an unlicensed Coptic church south of Cairo on Friday and physically attacked the worshippers while calling for the building to be demolished.

According to Agence France Presse (AFP), the attack on the Prince Tawadros church in Atfeh, 100 km. from the capitol, occurred on Friday just after the weekly Muslim prayers.

The diocese noted that the church had been in use for nearly 15 years and that an application for a license was already submitted to the government under a 2016 law that was meant to ease permits for new churches.

Hundreds of demonstrators reportedly gathered in front of the building, chanting "hostile" slogans and calling for the demolition of the church.

"They stormed the place and destroyed what was inside it, after assaulting the Christians there," the diocese said.

The Associated Press noted that at least three Copts were injured and taken to the nearby hospital.

Egyptian authorities have reportedly detained 15 people in connection with the attack. One judicial source told Reuters that the detained have been accused of stirring sectarian strife, harming national unity and destroying private property.

The owner of the building was also taken into custody pending an investigation into the operations of the facility.

One villager who requested anonymity told Reuters that some Muslims have raised objections about turning the building into a church "because there's a really big mosque beside it."

"There are strong social ties between the Muslims and Christians [in our village]," the villager added.

Local officials have often declined permits for new church buildings, fearing that it would sparks protests from hardline Muslims.

Christians, who comprise up to 10 percent of Egypt's 93 million people, have long complained about discrimination in the Muslim-majority country. They have also complained about being undercounted as the Egyptian government does not release the official numbers of Christians in its census.

The religious minority group have come under sectarian attacks and have been targeted by militants in a series of church bombings that has left more than 100 dead since December 2016. Egypt has been under a state of emergency since April, following the suicide bombings of two Coptic Christian churches on Palm Sunday.

The attacks, which were claimed by the local affiliate of the Islamic State terror group, had killed 47 people and injured 126 others.

This holiday season, the government has deployed 230,000 security personnel and officers to monitor 2,626 churches, as well as public parks, state institutions and tourist sites in Egypt.

A minority of nonorthodox church believers in Egypt celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25, but Coptic Christians will be celebrating the holiday on Jan. 7.