US religious delegation in Egypt

A United States delegation investigating religious freedom is beginning a five-day visit to Egypt and the Middle East.

It's expected to meet government and religious officials in the region and begins its tour in Egypt, where it's to gather information about the condition of the country's Coptic Christian minority. The Coptic community has complained that the government discriminates against them.

Last month it reacted angrily when a court acquitted almost all those accused of massacring twenty-one Christians last year. The Muslim Brotherhood has condemned the American delegation's visit, which it said showed a provocative approach to the rights and sovereignty of countries.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service