Having a merry Christmas comes with a steep price in some parts of the world.
As Christians around the world prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, Muslim demonstrators attacked an unlicensed Christian church in Egypt.
In the latest assault on the country’s Christian minority, three people were wounded when hundreds of Muslims stormed the church after Friday prayers, The Los Angeles Times reported.
An Egyptian Coptic Christian diocese said demonstrators chanted hostile slogans and called for the destruction of the church located just outside of Cairo. Once inside, they destroyed the church’s contents and assaulted Christian churchgoers, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt’s population.
Islamic militants have killed more than 100 Christians and left scores more wounded in a series of attacks over the past year, according to the newspaper.
Photo from previous event: Christians gather for the funeral of those killed in a Palm Sunday church attack in Alexandria Egypt, at the Mar Amina church (AP Photo/Samer Abdallah)
The unlicensed church has observed prayers for 15 years and remains unsanctioned because local authorities are hesitant to issue building permits out of fear of Muslim protests, The Times reported.
As a result, Christians are forced to build churches outside the law or set up churches in other buildings. There are few restrictions to building a mosque.
