Sunday's violence in Cairo highlighted long-standing tensions between Egypt's Coptic Christians and Muslims, and with the nation's military leadership.

Copts have long been asking for changes to laws that hinder the building of churches and do not recognize the conversion of Muslims to Christianity. Copts complain about employment discrimination and have often clashed with majority Muslims over church construction and other issues.

Coptic Christians are the largest religious minority in Egypt, comprising roughly 10 percent of the nation's 80 million people. Their ancestors trace back to the days of the Roman Empire. They are followers of Saint Mark the Evangelist, known to them as one of the Seventy Disciples of Christ.

Saint Mark is believed to have introduced Christianity to Egypt, beginning in the seaport of Alexandria, where the Coptic Church is still based. Copts share many beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church but hold different views about the divinity of Jesus.

A recent dispute over new construction at a church in southern Egypt heightened tensions between Copts and the government. A protest in Cairo Sunday against the recent burning of a southern church escalated into clashes with government forces that left 26 people dead.

Many Copts say Egypt's post- Hosni Mubarak leadership has been too lenient on Islamists, who they blame for a series of attacks on the Coptic community. But their complaints pre-date the ouster of the former president in February.

In January, Copts held a series of protests after a New Year's Day bombing killed about two dozen worshippers at a church in Cairo.

In August, Egyptian authorities proposed an anti-discrimination amendment to the criminal code in a bid to curb sectarian attacks against Coptic Christians. The measure could impose jail sentences on those found guilty of religious, ethnic or gender discrimination.

But military rulers have been slow to enact promised reforms like the ones Copts are demanding.