Hundreds of Muslim worshippers staged a protest on Friday at Amr Ibn al-'As Mosque demanding that Coptic Bishop Bishoy to be tried in court following his negative remarks about the Quran.
Last month, Bishop Bishoy, secretary of the Coptic Church's Holy Synod, angered Muslims when he publicly challenged the authenticity of certain verses of the Quran, the Muslim holy book.
Demonstrators chanted slogans condemning the silence of the Grand Sheikh of al-Azhar, Ahmed al-Tayyeb and the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Ali Gomaa on this issue, saying "Sheikh Tayyeb, Sheikh Gomaa, why are you silent? Whose side are you on?"
They carried signs with pictures of women who have allegedly converted to Islam, but who they claim are kept hostage inside churches. They demanded that the women, whom they believe to have converted from Christianity to Islam, should publicly proclaim their faith.
During the protest, which took place under the gaze of an intensified security presence, including 12 security vehicles and nearly 1000 officers, hundreds of protesters called for what they described as the "trial of the leaders of religious discord", because of the refusal of church leaders to allow Camillia Shehata to make public media appearances in order to reveal the truth and stop religious discord.
The Coptic Church revealed that it has informed security agencies about the date and location of the demonstration.
A source from the Papal headquarters told Al-Masry Al-Youm, that they have “informed security agencies immediately of what we knew about the date, time and location of the demonstration, and despite this security made no attempt to prevent the protest or prevent the abuses that they directed at the church and at Pope Shenouda III."
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
