Christians and Muslims in Egypt have been fighting over the construction of a church building.

Security forces were brought in Saturday when a group of Muslims from the Awlad Khalaf village tried to destroy the worship facility with bulldozers.

A local security chief said the construction was illegal, but Christians say they were building the facility on their own land.

Three Muslims were shot during the incident and a Christian suffered stab wounds.

Saturday's incident is the latest in ongoing religious tension in Egypt, where Christians make up only 10 percent of the population.