If? Hel-l-o-o-o?
Posted on 01/16/2005 5:22:26 AM PST by dead
Islamic extremists may have murdered four members of a Coptic Orthodox family found bound, gagged and with their throats slit on Friday in their Jersey City home, a law-enforcement official familiar with the case said.
The official confirmed that Hudson County investigators, as well the FBI, were "knee-deep" in pulling computer records and were coming to terms with the possibility that the family may have been targeted for death because of exchanges about religion in an Internet chat room.
The official cautioned, though, that investigators have not ruled out other possibilities, such as a robbery gone awry.
Hossam Armanious, 47, Amal Garas, 37, and their daughters Sylvia, 15, and Monica, 8, were found dead in their Oakland Avenue home early Friday after family members alerted police that nobody had heard from them in days.
First Assistant Hudson County Prosecutor Guy Gregory declined to discuss any details of the case, other than to confirm that police have ruled out a dispute the family had with a former tenant as a possible motive. He cautioned against speculating about the motive behind the murders.
"This is a very delicate investigation and one where we have spent hours at the scene collecting evidence and with the evidence collection complete, we're moving to bring in people that we feel need to be interviewed," Gregory said. "It's unfortunate that people are speculating."
But as the theory spread that revenge and religion were the driving forces behind one of the most heinous murders in the county's long history, fear enveloped the city's Coptic community.
Friends, relatives and co-worshippers of the devout family spent much of Saturday wondering how the seemingly upstanding Armanious family could fall victim to such a shockingly brutal crime. Several spoke of Hossam Armanious' participation in heated discussions about the Islamic faith on the Paltalk.com messenger service and threats he received for expressing his views about the religion.
Milad Garas, an uncle of Amal Garas, said Saturday that he was told investigators are probing whether the killings could have been prompted in part by the chat sessions. He also pointed to a passage in the Muslim holy book, the Quran, that details how enemies should be killed - bound and their throats slit, an assertion that drew a rebuttal from some Islamic scholars, but was supported by others.
A translation of passage 47:4 of the Quran reads in part: "Therefore, when ye meet the Unbelievers [in fight], smite at their necks; At length, when ye have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly [on them]."
"There is a very wide range of interpretation of that, and it depends on where people are in the spectrum," said Frederick M. Denny, a professor of religious studies at the University of Colorado and author of more than a dozen books on Islam. "If they were going toward the extremist side, it could lead someone to believe it is justified. ... There are those that take that [passage] quite literally."
The close-knit Coptic community promised protests if the religious revenge theory proves accurate.
"If it turns out they were killed for religion, then we will [protest]," said Ayman Garas, Amal's younger brother. "We have to be patient, we can't do anything stupid. ... But it looks like it is religion, maybe."
The Armanious family moved to the United States from Egypt in part to escape religious persecution. Hossam Armanious had sensed a rise in anti-Christian extremism and wanted to make a better life for his family in America, Ayman Garas said.
"What I really want to know is: How?'' he said. "We just can't believe it at this point. Everything has passed like a dream."
The details of what may have been said in the chat sessions were not known Saturday night.
Fred Ayad, deacon of the couple's St. George Coptic Orthodox Church, said that the entire community was in a "panic" over the apparent targeting of the family, as well as the murders of a Coptic deacon in December and a Coptic cabdriver in late 2003.
Prosecutor Gregory said the conjecture about the murders is hampering his office's investigation, which he said has been exhaustive.
Copts are Egyptian Christians, a minority group of about 6 million in a nation of 60 million, and have been killed in religious rioting and during attacks on Christian churches by Islamic militants. Coptic leaders also say they lack representation in the Egyptian government and are treated like second-class citizens.
Over the past decade, Copts have increasingly immigrated to the United States. Currently, they number about 1 million in this country. Coptic Orthodox churches are scattered throughout the nation and, while there is no official count, Coptic Web sites list about 10 large congregations in New Jersey and about 20 in the tri-state area.
Islamic leaders said Saturday that the murders could not have been the work of someone inspired by the Quran.
"We are not a bloody people," said Ahmed Shedeed, director of the Islamic Center of Jersey City. "This is not from the Quran. This is not from Islam at all."
Shedeed, who is Egyptian, said his group recently co-founded a social service organization with local Coptic churches, called Egyptian Family.
"We are trying to get religious leaders from both communities to meet on a monthly basis to break the ice between the people," he said. "We meet as individuals, but as organizations we never have done such a thing. We are trying to show that Egyptians together can benefit."
Shedeed said that as part of that effort, he attended Christmas Eve services at St. George's this year.
Asked about passages in the Quran that may suggest murdering non-believers in a manner that resembles the family's deaths, he replied, "The Quran talks about people fighting in the battle of war. It's not talking about people who live next to you. ... This has nothing to do with our community at all."
"The Quran stands very firmly against taking human life," said noted Islamic author Zayn Kassam, chairwoman of the religious studies department of Pomona College in California. "If someone read a verse and used it to justify the killing of four people, I believe that person is unbalanced. ... There are very few Muslims who would support this sort of thing."
On Saturday, the family received mourners at the church, as friends left lighted candles and flowers in front of the home. Neighbors talked of an exhaustive police investigation, with a former Armanious tenant, Nelly Ramirez, saying police had questioned her, her son and her son's girlfriend.
Meanwhile, friends of Sylvia, a high school sophomore who would have turned 16 on Saturday, lingered in front of the house, alternately crying and laughing. They talked of an extremely gifted teen who recently won a trip to Italy from the National Honor Society for a series of essays she wrote on topics such as Shakespeare and Charles Dickens.
"She used to write all the time," said her friend Jankil Patel, 15. "She used to go to church all the time. ... She'd debate people in class and even had a religious tattoo on her [right wrist]."
"She had a lot of friends; she was very popular," said Jessica Cimino, 15, another friend. Cimino and the other girls said they plan to attend the family funeral on Monday and wear T-shirts bearing Sylvia's image to school on Tuesday.
Ayman and Milad Garad and other family members were allowed into the crime scene for the first time on Saturday morning to gather the needed paperwork for the cemetery. They left the home with a briefcase and several other items, including a tank with several small turtles inside.
Staff Writer Kathleen Carroll contributed to this story. E-mail: troncone@northjersey.com
If? Hel-l-o-o-o?
My bad.
Fixed, thanks.
I support one's right to believe whatever they want, so long as they don't try to force me to go along! I have my own beliefs, thankyouverymuch!
Thanks for the ping!
We are, indeed, in the midst of a war. A war that pits Islam against Christianity. The Crusades were fought on the same grounds of Truth, and religion.
And we live and work among them. I'm just shaking my head. Talk about coming like the thief in the night!!!!
You bet! If you ever want off the ping list, let me know. I know how mind boggling it can be when you get a lot of pings!
Very true. This statement is also misleading. Since when do muslims (specifically Arab muslims) consider non muslims and non-arabs as human?
Taking their racism into account and how they feel non-muslims should be treated in society...this is an interesting statement.
"Shedeed, who is Egyptian, said his group recently co-founded a social service organization with local Coptic churches, called Egyptian Family."
Want to know how the muslims find out where "infidels" live? They get info from these terrorist organizations disguised a social service groups.
"There are very few Muslims that support this" (murdering non-muslims).
Really?? There are supposedly one and a half billion muslims in the world and 10 percent of them identify themselves as "islamists". If 10% of Christians murdered members of other religions, what would you say? Or 10% of Buddists, of Hindus?
The "Holy War" is coming to a city near you! Be prepared. Don't expect that President Bush will protect you or protect your right to protect yourself.
Muhammad was a strong believer in terrorism. That the easiest way to defeat and adversary is to brutally terrorize his people until he begs for mercy and "peace". This is a lot easier for Muhammedans than making a full war. Just fight half way and use terror to accomplish the rest.
Terrorism is written in the Koran in plain worlds. I would be careful at Paltalk.com
Now tell me, who didn't have this thought the first they learned of an Arab family slaughtered in their home.
This is frightening. I am sitting here brought to tears at the thought this has finally reared its' ugly head here.
And folks, I want you to think on something else. Many prisons are full with muslim converts here in the US. The prison have been a recruiting ground... This attack maybe by someone unstable, could be a truthful line and an easy excuse for the murderous ilk recruited by islam in our own prisons.
You know I'm never scared to talk to those Bible thumping door-to-door visitors, but if a muslim showed up to talk with me I know my home would be marked. I belong to a theism debate group and now wonder how many out there are marked.
So what do we do? In my opinion, this is the beginning of the war on our own land, within our borders...preemption failed because of our own PCness at home. Liberals should be ashamed of what they have allowed to fester in our homeland.
Lord I ask for Wisdom in our land. It's been 200+ years since our founding father's provided our country's sacred documents. I pray that Your Wisdom overcomes this land again and moves it to deal with this. If we've truly moved into the last days, then I pray you come quickly...either way give us the courage, strength, and wisdom.
I think what he means is that muslims frequently put up a "religion of peace" front when speaking in English, and reveal their true "death cult" colors when speaking in Arabic.
hmm, religion or Peace and love huh??
I ain't signing on to that website!
That makes 2 of us! I wish our politicans had the guts to ban Islam from our country. And for those of you who bring up that we have religious freedom in our country. Islam is dangerous, violent cult. Its NOT a religion. It only uses religon as an excuse.
I'm not either.
Have you written an Email to all the MSM asking where there coverage is on this slaying.
The MSM would be all over this if some white guys were dragging a black guy in chains behind their truck.
I no longer trust the MSM to give me an unbiased story about what really happens out in the world.
Remember the MSM is looking at news through liberal biased eyes.
Yes and often when the description of "throats slit" is used, they are nearly decapitated.
I'm recalling how articles described Van Gogh's (Dutch filmaker) throat as slit, when actually he was nearly decapitated.
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