CWN - A mob of 4,000 looted Christian-owned businesses in Bani Ahmed, an Egyptian town near Cairo, and burned down homes, according to Worldwatch Monitor, a news site that reports on the persecution of Christians.

The news site based its report on a statement from the local Coptic Orthodox diocese.

On August 3, a Muslim and a Christian argued about a pro-military popular song that was playing on a café radio. Muslims and Coptic Christians alike gathered outside the café, and by late evening, a mob of 4,000 Muslims had looted Christian-owned stores and burned or looted seven homes.

The following morning, a crowd surrounded the Coptic Orthodox church, preventing Christians from attending the sacred liturgy. On August 9, “Muslims burned an abandoned Muslim home in an attempt to accuse Christians of the act, but security officers moved in before the gathering crowd could lash out,” according to the report.

Bani Ahmed's church and Christian-owned stores remain closed.

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