Cairo - Egyptian authorities on Thursday released two Coptic Christian boys taken into juvenile detention for allegedly urinating on the Qur'an, but they will remain under investigation, a security official said.
Even as news spread that the boys would be freed, their village remained tense.
According to priest in the village, located in the province of Beni Suef south of Cairo, local leaders of Gamaa Islamiya - once a prominent militant group - took to mosques, rallying Muslims to rise up against the order to release the boys.
"I don't know why they are inciting people now. Right now, villagers from outside our place are gathering," the priest said, adding, "God help us". The priest spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution.
Rights groups say allegations of contempt of religion are on the increase. Many are made against Coptic Christians, showcasing the tenuous position of a minority estimated to make up between eight and 10 percent of the population.
Some of the accusations are made by members of radical Islamist groups, whose political clout has risen since the 2011 popular uprising that overthrew president Hosni Mubarak.
A flurry of criminal investigations in recent weeks comes amid heightened tensions over an anti-Islam film produced in the United States, which sparked protests across the Muslim world.
The most recent case is a rare example of minors being accused of contempt of religion. Local cleric Sheik Gamal Shamardal said residents of the village of Ezbat Marco saw the boys, aged nine and 10, bring pages of the Qur'an behind a local mosque and urinate on them.
Police on Tuesday arrested the boys, and a crowd of angry residents gathered outside the police station. Fearing violence, security forces surrounded the village and the boys were taken to a nearby juvenile detention facility.
Security chief General Attiya Mazrou in Beni Suef province south of Cairo said that authorities ordered the boys to be released the next day, and they were taken to a police station to await their parents.
It was not immediately possible to reach the boys' family for comment. - Sapa-AP
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