FAMILY OF 4 SLAUGHTERED

New York Post ^ | 1/15/2004 | Lorena Mongelli

[4.1O dana super trac pak]

A family of Christians who fled persecution in Egypt ran into a bloody nightmare in Jersey City - where the husband, wife and their two daughters were found knifed to death in their home yesterday.

The bodies of Hossam Armanious, 46, his wife, Amal Garas, and their two youg daughters - Sylvia, 15, and Monica, 8 - were found gagged with their throats slit at 4 a.m. yesterday inside the green, two-story, wood-frame home they moved into five years ago.

Investigators were struggling to figure out who could have slaughtered the religiously devout family.

Jersey City Police Chief Robert Troy Said police are leaning toward the suspects being at least an aquaintance, after finding no sign of break-in.

"I don't believe it was random," he said. "They probably knew their killers."

'snip'

Rafique Iscandar, 51, who described himself as Armanious' best friend, said his pal also came (to America) because of the pressure of being Christian in the Muslim Egypt.

"They were afraid there," Iscandar said. "They are under siege by the government. We lived in fear."

[DTogo]

Sounds like an episode from Law & Order.

[null and void]

Round up the usual suspects...

[Bahbah]

What a hideous tragedy.

[umgud]

Isn't death the prescribed sentence for leaving islam? I wonder if these people were always Christian or were once muslims.

[Axlrose]

I doubt the their former iman would have been able to afford a ticket to the US in order to pursue them.

[4.1O dana super trac pak]

I am not sure, but Jersey City is a heavily Muslim place.

[null and void]

Well DUH! The Jooooooooooooooooooooooos! It's always the Jooooooooooooooos! Does this really need a < /sarcasm> tag?

[pipecorp]

In jersey, it only takes a phone call.

[EGPWS]

Where is the ACLU when you need them? /sarcasm

[ishabibble]

The Coptic Egyptians have been more heinously persecuted than any other religion in history. If this poor family were Coptic, it would be no big deal to the entire Arab world.

[FITZ]

Isn't death the prescribed sentence for leaving islam? I wonder if these people were always Christian or were once muslims.

That was my first thought. Hotel Islam --- you can check in but you can never check out.

[Sender]

TROP® no doubt.

[4.1O dana super trac pak]

Some additional info regarding Jersey City murders.

[Indy Pendance]

I saw one similar to that.

[drt1]

"Iscandar said Armanious even joined with him in an effort to better the lives of his fellow Christians back in Luxor by working with a human-rights organization called the American Coptic Union."

This may have had something to do with it - The method of execution certainly points in a certain direction. Definitely not your typical Jersey City Home Invasion/murder

[marty60]

The only thing I want to say is the Islamofascist better keep this S**t out of the U.S. We are a sovereign country and their Cult of Death is not above the LAW here.

[Brad's Gramma]

What are you meaning to say?

[anniegetyourgun]

You mean the Christian victims are on your list of possibilities?

Welcome to FR.....I think....

[BrooklynGOP]

Daughters (from NY Daily News):

Monica,8

Sylvia, 16

[Bahbah]

See post #18. This may actually have something to do with their religious beliefs. Even more ugly, if that's possible.

[bboop]

That's what I am thinking too -- they used to be Muslims and ran screaming, but to no avail. Plus, the MO sounds an awful lot like 'beheading.' To me.

[Gewittermädchen]

hummmm...

[Brad's Gramma]

Tapping my toes, impatiently......

[Gritty]

Religious fanatics? But which group...

Let me make a guess here...

Iscandar said Armanious even joined with him in an effort to better the lives of his fellow Christians back in Luxor by working with a human-rights organization called the American Coptic Union.

I think we can cross "Coptic", "Christians" and believers in "human rights" off the suspect list.

A heinous scene... slaughtered in separate rooms... their faces were contorted in a way that indicated they put up a fierce struggle.

Hmmm.

Does there come to mind any other religious group in Egypt (or America) that revels binding it's victims and joyously cutting their infidel throats while they squirm in helpless agony?

[Gewittermädchen]

ditto

[bboop]

"Their throats were cut, they were not beheaded." The stewardesses on the hijacked flight's throats were cut, too. It is just the default mode of beheading, when you haven't enough time or your blade isn't blessed at the mosque. Oh, excuse me but ... I just bet there is a link here.

[Brad's Gramma]

Think we'll ever get a response?

[Gewittermädchen]

ditto

[anniegetyourgun]

Altogether too many of these passing through FR these days....

[Gewittermädchen]

Um...probably, but not a coherent one...

[4.1O dana super trac pak]

BTTT - I should have included that in the excerpt.

[Brad's Gramma]

Yep, Annie, I've noticed.

[Gewittermädchen]

oops, posted to myself, sorry!

[KoRn]

"Religious fanatics? But which group..."

They are watching you..... Oh, and Welcome to FR!!

[Brad's Gramma]

Huh. Wait till you ACCIDENTLY post what you meant to be a private FRmail, to the forum!

Whoooooooo boy, that'll hurt.

Welcome aboard, BTW!!!

[Brad's Gramma]

EXCELLENT!

[Gewittermädchen]

Lover....?

[KoRn]

/tips hat

:-)

[Brad's Gramma]

Blushes and curtsies. :)

[Gewittermädchen]

Thanks,I needed that! I'll be more careful in the future.

[nicmarlo]

nully: Round up the usual suspects...

Lover: Religious fanatics? But which group...

Brad's Gramma: What are you meaning to say?

Yes, lover, 'splain yourself to us "simple" folks. We're all ears.

[Lion in Winter]

Coptic is the same as the word as Egyptian... In their old language, by the way.

And, yes the Orthodox Christian Coptics are persecuted as are ALL Christians in Egypt including Protestants and Roman Catholic

At my Church, there was a nurse, who was also a missionary Baptist aide worker. She told us some really sad persecution stories from her brief time in that country.

I really think some muslim did these awful murders. Maybe even came all the way to the USA to do the deed.

The article mentioned the family worked to help to better the lives of fellow Christians back in Luxor, Egypt.

[LisaMalia]

How sad...and scary.

May this Christian family rest in peace.

[Blood of Tyrants]

I would be interested in when the family converted over to Christianity because if it had been recently, I would suspect other family members. My wife works with a young woman who is a Christian who emmigrated from Egypt but her family apparently has little fear about going back to Egypt and still owns property there.

[TexasCowboy]

Where did you go, Lover??

Come back and let's talk. I'd be interested to know your take on this.

If you're a follower of Mohammed (may it rain pig pee on his filthy head), you might enlighten us as to why this happened.