Egypt decided to slaughter the country's entire pig population on Wednesday in the hope of keeping the A (H1N1) virus out of the country. The measure has angered pig breeders, most of whom are Coptic Christians and see the issue as a religious affair.  

The Egyptian pig population counts around 300,000 head, the majority of which are bred in the surrounding areas of Cairo by what can only be described as Christian scavengers. For these rubbish pickers, the pigs play an important role in recycling organic waste. They spend their lives grazing on open-air waste-piles and are then transformed into ham, a product often destined for the capital's major hotels.  

On Wednesday, a group of farmers from the Khanka region, 25km north of Cairo, welcomed the policemen and vets who came to cull their pigs by hurling stones at them. In an attempt to calm the crisis, the Coptic Orthodox Church had to pledge its support for the government's decision.

Pig breeding is banned in several Muslim countries including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Libya. In other Arab countries, it's often minority religious groups, notably Christians, who produce hogs.

No case of the flu, neither animal nor human, has been reported in Egypt. The Web is divided over this radical measure to cull the country's pigs.