CAIRO, Egypt - Coptic Christians demonstrated in Cairo on Sunday to protest against a newspaper story about alleged sexual misconduct by a Coptic cleric, security sources and witnesses said.
Between 2,000 and 4,000 Copts took to the streets outside a church to protest about the way the story was presented by an Egyptian tabloid, saying it was insulting to Egypt's Coptic minority, the sources and witnesses said.
The security sources said no casualties or arrests had been reported, but one protester told Reuters that five people were seriously hurt and five sustained minor injuries.
One witness said there was a brief scuffle between police and security forces who drove the protesters back into the church grounds.
Demonstrations, particularly about religious issues, are rare in Egypt and are usually confined to university campuses.
The weekly al-Nabaa published a story on Sunday about a Coptic clergyman who was alleged to have exploited his position to gain sexual favours with women.
A court ordered the issue to be pulled from newsstands, saying the article was in violation of social mores because it contained graphic descriptions and images, police sources said.
State security had detained the clergyman in connection with the allegations, court sources said.
Copts make up about 10 percent of Egypt's population.