Funeral of slain family brings Muslim-Christian tensions to boil

NJ.com ^ | 1/17/05 | WAYNE PARRY, AP

[kattracks]

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) — Grief and rage erupted Monday during the funeral for an Egyptian Christian couple and their two young daughters who were tied up and stabbed to death last week. Mourners fought in the street, pushing, shoving and punching each other as many blamed Muslims for the killings.

Investigators are looking into the possibility that Hossam Armanious, 47, his 37-year-old wife, Amal Garas, and their daughters, Sylvia, 15, and Monica, 8, were slain by a Muslim angered over postings that Armanious, a Coptic Christian, wrote in an Internet chat room.

The bodies were found bound and gagged Friday, their throats and heads stabbed repeatedly. No arrests has been made as of Monday afternoon.

Authorities stressed that robbery could be an explanation for the killings. However, the slayings have created enormous tensions between Muslims and Christians here that surfaced as soon as four copper caskets holding the bodies were carried through the streets of New Jersey's second-largest city to St. George & St. Shenouda Coptic Orthodox Church

[snip]

Protesters carrying anti-Muslim signs and shouting anti-Islam slogans on Monday prompted several scuffles with mourners who rebuked them for having no respect for the dead or the grieving relatives. One sign, above a photograph of the smiling Armanious family, read, "American Family Beheaded on American Soil. Welcome Bin Laden." Others read, "Terrorists Reached Our Home" and "Bush: Crush Sleeper Cells."

"Muslims as a group kill people," said Ashaf Baul of Jersey City, one of the marchers at the head of the procession. "Nobody else slaughters people. If it was a robbery, why tie their hands and cut their heads?"

[anniegetyourgun]

Very interesting development.....

[spetznaz]

What in goodness name is going on in NJ, and why are the authorities not doing anything about it?

[speed_addiction]

I want to see not only outrage but action. Where is Jack Bauer when you need him!

[dfwright]

I don't get the connection with the headline and the actual article. Did I miss something?

[backhoe]

I'm assembling all the info I can find here:

FAMILY OF 4 SLAUGHTERED-'ISLAMIC HATE' EYED IN SLAYS
various FR links & stories | 01-17-05 | the heavy equipment guy
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1322287/posts

[DTogo]

Wow, 4 people slain and the community erupts. 3,000 of our community were killed on 9-11-01 and just under half the country still wants to make excuses for it.

[dfwright]

Ok, now the title matches the article. Sorry. My computer must be having "issues"

[G32]

You can only turn the other cheek so much. Sooner or later there will be civil war if the government doesn't do something about this whole problem.

[mammer]

Has anyone checked out the website the father was threatened on? I think it was "paltalk" or something like that.

[AuH2ORepublican]

""Muslims as a group kill people," said Ashaf Baul of Jersey City, one of the marchers at the head of the procession. "Nobody else slaughters people. If it was a robbery, why tie their hands and cut their heads?" "

---

Good points all. I wonder if the media will push for the death penalty for the perpetrators of this "hate crime"? When only 2 of the 3 animals that dragged that poor man to death in Jasper, TX got the death penalty, the media implied that Bush had been soft on the racist murderers.

[FormerLib]

I have to agree with the opinion that this was no way to behave at a funeral.

[patriot_wes]

"The bodies were found bound and gagged Friday, their throats and heads stabbed repeatedly

Islam...coming to a church or synagague near you.

[Shermy]

Did I miss something?

Rampant speculation of religious motive because the fellow ranted on the internet like millions of others.

I'd check for crazy young male relative & pals first. Or drug-fueled.

[tet68]

It sounds like there were anti-muslim marchers at the funeral and the mourners felt that it was inappropriate,
and I would agree.

There will be a time for that later.

[skip_intro]

Muslims as a group kill people," said Ashaf Baul of Jersey City

Ashaf better watch himself. More talk like this and the Feds will arrest him for thoughtcrime.

[mewzilla]

I saw a report earlier on FNC that said the scuffle broke out after a sheik showed up to attend the funeral. That wasn't mentioned in this story. Wonder which version is true?

[blam]

"Where is Jack Bauer when you need him!"

I don't know who that is but, I was thinking of Bernard Goetz.

[backhoe]

Has anyone checked out the website the father was threatened on? I think it was "paltalk" or something like that.

Yes- it's in my links at #6.

[ArrogantBustard]

"Muslims as a group kill people," said Ashaf Baul of Jersey City, one of the marchers at the head of the procession. "Nobody else slaughters people.

Not so! Communists and National Socialists slaughter people too.

So, you see, the muzzies are in good company.