Officials say Egyptian Sunni Muslims kill 4 Shiites, charging they were spreading their faith

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Officials say Egyptian Sunni Muslims kill 4 Shiites, charging they were spreading their faith

By Associated Press, Updated: Sunday, June 23, 3:49 PM

Cairo — Egyptian officials say Sunni Muslim villagers have killed four Shiites they said were trying to spread their version of Islam.

The officials said the four were beaten to death west of Cairo. It’s one of the most serious sectarian incidents in Egypt in recent months.

A mob surrounded a house Sunday, threatening to set it on fire if 34 Shiites inside did not leave the village before sunset, the officials said. When they refused, villagers attacked the house and killed four of them, the officials said.

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Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/officials-say-egyptian-sunni-muslims-kill-4-shiites-charging-they-were-spreading-their-faith/2013/06/23/f7b0bcf6-dc3d-11e2-a484-7b7f79cd66a1_story.html

[David__77]

1. The Shiite-Sunni violence is overwhelmingly in one direction.

As always, for centuries, the Shiites are targeted by the Sunni extremists for annihilation. Before the rise of theocracy as a movement among Shiites in the 70s, "Red Shia" was a common term of disdain used by the Sunni elites: the working class Shiites in Iraq, Iran, and elsewhere were known for their leftist orientation. And this was no coincidence. In a distorted way, this is playing out in Iraq and Syria today: Shiites railing against the right-wing Qaeda forces, which are in turn acting as the agent of the Sunni elite businessmen and monarchs.