CAIRO, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Hundreds of Egyptian Christian Copts ended a sit-in inside a church Monday to protest alleged compulsory conversion of two Christians to Islam.
Some 2,000 Christian youths gathered Sunday night at the St. Georgious church in the city of Assiut, 110 kilometers (68 miles) south of Cairo, when news circulated two Christian girls who disappeared a few days ago were forced to convert to Islam.
The protesters called for the return of the girls to their families, denouncing attempts to force them to change religion.
But security sources said the two girls converted to Islam voluntarily and authorities notified the church in line with the law.
The sources said the protesters agreed to end the sit-in and allow the church to verify whether the conversions were voluntary.
