A Coptic Christian community in an Egyptian village is building a new church 12 years after the previous one was closed.

Christians in Kom El-Loufy, 250 kilometres south of Cairo, have experienced fierce opposition from their Muslim neighbours, according to World Watch Monitor.

However, local people have now agreed that they can build on a piece of land 700 metres outside the village.

Opposition to Christians in the village saw some locals set fire to four Coptic homes in July 2016, suspecting that a newly built house would be turned into a church. At the end of 2017, the Copts withdrew their complaint against the arson in exchange for permission to build a church.

The 1,600 Copts from Kom El-Loufy were hosted in St Abu Sefein church in the nearby village of Ezzbet Rafla while they were without a building.

Its priest, Fr Feltaws Ibrahim, said: 'Thank God so much for this new location and that all parties have now agreed.'

Copts in other villages, such as Ezbat Al-Forn, El-Galaa and Saft el-Khirsa, have faced similar troubles.

In recent years it has been almost impossible for Christians to obtain a licence to build a church in Egypt. However, last year Egypt's parliament finally approved a new law relating to the building and renovating of churches, and in October a cabinet committee met to start work on the legalisation of unlicensed churches.