Prophet sketch enflames tensions in Egypt

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Prophet sketch enflames tensions in Egypt

The Associated Press Published Friday, December 30, 2011 9:36PM EST

In this Monday, Oct. 10, 2011 file photo, Egyptian relatives of 17 of the Copts killed during clashes with the Egyptian army late Sunday, react after seeing their bodies outside the morgue of the Copts hospital in Cairo, Egypt. An army crackdown on a protest that killed more than 20 Christians has not only stunned Egyptians, it has left them with deeply torn feelings towards the force seen as the protector of the nation. Even supporters of the ruling military are grappling with the question of how the bloodshed could have happened. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra, File)

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CAIRO, Egypt - Around 200 Coptic Christians and Muslims clashed in a southern Egyptian province after a drawing depicting the Prophet Muhammad was posted on a local Christian student's Facebook page.

Troops sealed off several flashpoint villages after angry residents in the province of Assiut, 200 miles (320 kilometres) south of Cairo, burnt seven Coptic homes in reaction to the drawing.

Muslims generally oppose any depiction of the prophet, even favourable, for fear it could lead to idolatry. This particular drawing depicted four women asking the prophet's hand in marriage.

The strife began late Thursday when four homes belonging to relatives of the Coptic student were burned.

Villagers burned another three homes belonging to Copts in nearby villages on Friday. Copts comprise around 10 per cent of Egypt's population.