[2][3][4] The attacks resulted in the burning of 3 Coptic Orthodox churches, and the destruction of many Christian-owned houses and businesses.
[3] Nearby, firefighters also fought to control a blaze started at the Coptic Orthodox church of the Virgin Mary.
[9] In addition, many injured victims could not be transported to hospitals because the ambulance cars were prevented from entering the area of clashes.
[2] Such claims were adopted by an al-Qaeda-linked group in Iraq responsible for the 2010 Baghdad church attack on 31 October 2010.
[3] On 29 April, some 2,000 Muslims protested outside the Coptic Church's headquarters in Cairo, demanding the release of the two alleged imprisoned converts.
[11] Two months later, on New Year's Eve 2011, a suicide bomber killed 23 Coptic Christians in the 2011 Alexandria bombing.
[3] The human rights council also blamed the Salafis for "the intensification of extremist religious interpretations that propose rearranging Egyptian society to exclude Christians.
The Christian victims also expressed their concerns about being the targets of systematic attacks, and about the hesitancy of the police and the military to protect them.
[6][12] On the day following the attack, thousands of Christians protested in Tahrir Square and in front of Maspiro television building against the government's leniency towards the aggressors and to call for immediate investigation into the clashes and the torching of churches.
Essam Sharaf, the Egyptian prime minister, promised to implement within 30 days a new legislation that lifted the restrictions facing the construction of new Christian churches in Egypt, and standardized the requirements needed for building houses of worship belonging to all faiths.
[3][18] The Egyptian government also passed a new law criminalizing discrimination based on religion,[18] and another banning demonstrations and gatherings outside places of worship.