The Coptic Orthodox Coptic Church has said that a mob attacked Christian homes in a village in Minya last Friday, and stripped an older Christian woman of her clothes in the attack. The governor, however, denied the woman was stripped, describing the whole incident as "casual" in a TV interview.
"A group of 300 people carrying various types of weapons went at 8pm on 20 May to attack seven houses owned by Christians, burgling some of them and torching others," said the statement, estimating the financial losses at EGP 350,000.
"The attackers also striped an old Christian woman of her clothes in front of a huge crowd in the street," read the statement, which was issued by the diocese of Minya and Abu Qirqas.
The violence in the village of El-Karm was a result of a rumour that a Muslim woman and a Christian man were having a relationship, according to the statement. The woman attacked was the man's mother.
The incident was first reported on social media and by activists; the church issued the statement confirming the incident on Wednesday.
The Christian man who was the subject of the rumours has been forced to leave the village after receiving threats.
"His parents already filed a complaint at Abu Qiras police station about receiving threats on 19 May and that they expected those threats to happen the next day," read the church's statement, adding that the man's family had reported the incident to the authorities.
According to the church, security forces reached the area at 10pm on Thursday, arresting six people who are under investigation.
"We trust that such behaviour is not accepted by any respectable person; we also trust that the state apparatuses won't stand by as a spectator and thus we thank in advance the security apparatuses as we believe it will all arrest all those involved and hold them accountable," read the church's statement.
The governor of Minya, Tarek Nasser, denied that the woman was stripped, blaming the Muslim Brotherhood for “exploiting” the situation and spreading rumours.
In media statements, the governor said that the sectarian tension in the village was caused by a rumour about a Christian man having an affair with a Muslim woman and such talk about affairs and honour in Upper Egypt is usually "sensitive".
"Some irrational youth threw flammable missiles at the houses of Christians in the village and some women ran away in their nightgowns," Nasser said denying that an old lady was stripped and adding that the matter was being resolved.
This is not the first sectarian-motivated incident to happen in Al-Karm village. Similar incidents took place several years ago.
Many social media users reacted angrily to the news of the incident, with some launching a hashtag in Arabic which reads “Egypt is stripped naked.”
Social media users demanded action from the authorities and criticised the use of customary reconciliation sessions which are often used to resolve sectarian tensions in Egyptian villages.
These sessions have often been criticised by both Muslims and Christians for being an inadequate, informal means of resolving conflicts that require government intervention.
