E/CN.4/1991/56 page 85 56. On 4 October 1990, the Government of Egypt sent its comments to the Special Rapporteur regarding the above-mentioned information: "The incident involving intercommunal tension in the district of El-Minya The discovery of immoral and illicit relations between members of the Muslim and Christian communities gave rise to a form of intercommunal tension, which escalated in the light of the customs and traditions prevailing in the southern part of the country (Upper Egypt) in which the district of El-Minya and the town of Abu Qirqas are situated. Customs and traditions, particularly in Upper Egypt, govern social behaviour to a large extent and are generally respected. They are highly sensitive subjects among the various communities, over whose conduct they exert a more powerful influence than the provisions of positive law, even though severe criminal penalties may be prescribed for the violation of those provisions. In this connection, it should be noted that: 1. Offences associated with the lex talionis are still committed in Upper Egypt, in spite of the modern cultural changes that have taken place. 2. Offences are still committed in which women are killed for misconduct or infringement of time-honoured customs and traditions. In this connection, some extremists attempted to incite sections of the population to destroy property and buildings belonging to members of the Christian community. However, these attempts failed for the following reasons: (a) Legal measures were taken against those extremists, who were referred to the Department of Public Prosecutions. (b) The town's Muslim population disapproved of those acts and refused to participate therein. In fact, they gave help and assistance to members of the Christian community. (c) The Egyptian people have a deep-rooted emotional attachment to their national unity and will not allow it to be disrupted, since they regard it as part of the sacred heritage that they have inherited over many centuries. Egypt's firm position in regard to religious intolerance The Egyptian Constitution stipulates that all Egyptian citizens are equal before the law, without distinction on grounds of sex, origin, language or religion. The Constitution also guarantees freedom of belief and freedom of religious observance. The causes of most incidents of intercommunal tension can be found in everyday occurrences (quarrels, disputes), to which some parties endeavour to attach confessional significance.