Police have arrested nine people suspected of setting fire to the homes of Coptic Christians following the burning to death of a Muslim in the village of Dahshour last week.<br />The spiral of violence began after a Coptic man who irons for a living and one of his Muslim customers got into a fight after the man accidently burned his client's shirt.<br />The incident turned into a violent confrontation between Muslims and Christians in the village, south of Cairo, in which a Muslim in a crowd protesting about the argument died after being hit by a firebomb.<br />Mobs attacked and looted Christian homes and shops in Dahshour, forcing almost the entire community out.<br />Many found refuge in a monastery miles away from the village, with fleeing families accusing the police of being slow to act.<br />Erian Aziz, a Christian tailor, said :"This spat should have never reached this level. <br />Thugs capitalised on the situation and the government did nothing. We knew trouble was imminent, but police, instead of arresting troublemakers, encouraged us to leave."<br />Al Jazeera's Rawya Rageh reports from Dahshour.
