U.S. Copts Decries Slaying By Muslim Extremists

U.S. Newswire ^

[Selkie]

U.S. Copts Association Decries Slaying By Muslim Extremists of Coptic-American Family

Tue Jan 18,10:55 AM ET

To: National Desk

Contact: U.S. Copts Association Communications Office, 202-737-3660

WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The U.S. Copts Association express its outrage, shock, and disbelief at the atrocious murder of a Coptic-American couple and their two children in their New Jersey home after father Hossam Armanious expressed "strong Coptic beliefs" to Muslim extremists on an internet discussion forum.

Armanious, a resident of heavily Coptic-populated Jersey City, was a frequent contributor to religious debates in chat rooms accessed through paltalk.com. The 47-year old Egyptian immigrant was known as an opinionated online defender of both his Christian faith and Egypt's persecuted Coptic minority. Authorities suspect the Armanious family's brutal slaying is linked to Armanious' vehement web postings defending Copts against militant Islam and rousing the ire of the internet forum's Muslim fundamentalist participants. A Muslim poster threatened Armanious with retaliation, warning, "We will hunt you down...and kill you."

Armanious, his wife Amal, and their fifteen- and eight-year old daughters Sylvia and Monica were found bound, gagged, and stabbed to death in their Jersey City home on Friday, Jan. 14. All four victim's throats had been slashed. Teenager Sylvia Armanious, an outspoken defender of Copts' religious freedom, sustained the most severe wounds, with slash marks on her throat, chest, and cross- tattooed wrist. Investigators point to the slashing of the teen's cross and the vicious nature of the slayings as indicators of a hate crime.

"Muslim extremists' gruesome slaying of an innocent Coptic family is not only appalling, but disturbing in its implications for the Coptic-American community," said Michael Meunier, president of the U.S. Copts Association. "Since Egypt's exponential increase in anti-Coptic hate crimes, Copts have fled to the U.S. seeking religious liberty and freedom from persecution. That such deadly prejudice has followed Coptic immigrants out of Egypt is deeply alarming, and must serve as a warning to U.S. officials in their campaign against terrorism. The Armanious family members are modern-day martyrs in Islamic fundamentalists' war on Christianity and the freedom it advocates. Al-Qaeda is not only in the Middle East but in New Jersey and we call on the FBI (news - web sites) to hunt down the killers and bring them to justice."

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The U.S. Copts Association, founded in 1996 and based in Washington D.C., advocates for democracy, religious freedom, and human rights in Egypt. The Association represents over 700,000 Egyptian Christians in the United States.

[Rambler7]

You are detracting from the real issue with your personal obsession.

[F-117A]

Bump!

[Gritty]

She did have it on..

Then I stand corrected!

I find Greta nearly unwatchable, so I couldn't stomach more than a few minutes. But I figured it was such an important and compelling story it would be on at the beginning if it were on at all.

This story has everything; execution style murder of a complete family, torture of children, mysterious circumstances, possible religious jihad, conceivable Al Qaeda links, angry crowds in the street carrying coffins, hysterical relatives, struggling police lines, foreign and international implications, FBI profilers, scary internet traffic, mysterious death threats, gruesome details, neighborhoods in panic, speculative and unknown motives, relatives who are translators against the Blind Sheik, endless possibilities for speculation and interviews, a real detective story,... the list goes on.

If I had tuned in to the middle of Greta's program I suppose I would have stumbled across the story on page B12, right after the murder of two unknown auto brokers in Florida (but the young woman was pretty and looks like Lacy).

So, apparently Greta The OJ Groupie now has the Jersey City story in second place and ready to be x-ed for the Florida babe?

[MEG33]

I had the TV on Fox as background noise and Greta came on..I started paying attention and decided to report what she had on about this murder.

[ravingnutter]

She is on to the murder of some obscure couple in Florida

I just caught a bit of that story, but did you notice that the "obscure couple" was stabbed in the throat as well? And that the relatives kept repeating what good Christians they were? Just gave me the creeps, considering this article.

[Gritty]

but did you notice that the "obscure couple" was stabbed in the throat as well?

Nope. Perhaps there is a connection in methods if not in actual suspects?

I find Greta's tortured language so distracting I end up paying more attention to her diction than what she is saying. That is one reason I refuse to watch her. It is simply too painful. Her guests always speak better than she does.

[Alouette]

CAIR's condemnation response: [crickets chirping]

CAIR Offers Condolences

One mealy-mouth sentence for the victims and then a prolonged whine about an unsolved "hate crime" against a Moslem woman (likely victim of an "honor killing")

[Betis70]

I saw parts of Greta's show, and it seemed like she emphasized several times that the murdered father made "anti-Muslim" comments on a website.

I don't know if he made anti-Muslim comments or just was telling people what the situation in Muslim-dominated Egypt was for Copts when he lived there. From the reports I've seen it was more the latter.

[ravingnutter]

I have a hard time with Greta as well, not only her voice, but her face {bad botox job...yikes!}, I just hadn't switched over to Scarborough yet like I normally do, as I was cooking dinner. Wasn't there another similar crime recently? If I remember correctly, there was a man that was killed recently in this fashion too. The mainstream media is covering this by stating it was "upper body trauma" without releasing details, but I am sure I heard her say they were stabbed in the neck. Might just be coincidence, but it kinda creeped me out because of the other story.

[Gritty]

If I remember correctly, there was a man that was killed recently in this fashion too.

Yes - Theo Van Gogh, a Dutch movie maker who did a short film clip on Islam abuses of women the Muslims didn't like, so they murdered him.

After they shot him numerous times, they unsuccessfully tried to saw off his head then pinned their multi-page fanatic rantings to his chest with a butcher knife (see one of these quotes, below). This was all in broad daylight on a busy Dutch street, of course.

I look for more people in this country to die this way. This is only the beginning, IMHO.

[scoastie]

oh? What is the real issue? And what is my personal obsession?

[Rambler7]

What are you, a split personality? If you don't know from what you said, well, everyone else can tell.

[VOA]

bump

[scoastie]

it's obvious you don't have anything to contribute to this post other than criticizing others..I know exactly what I said..this post is about the slaying of the family in New Jersey..now what say you about the situation that is under discussion? Or are you just here to sling?

[McGavin999]

This can't be swept under the carpet. If it isn't stopped and stopped now, there is no telling where it will lead. This country was founded on religious freedom, we can't permit ANYONE to drag something like this into the US. The Copts should feel safe here.

[scoastie]

absolutely....well, I would not say the Copts feel very safe after this...in fact, none of us can feel very safe knowing all we have to do is voice our differences of opinion to the wrong people.....and bad things can happen..that is what is chilling..

[Rambler7]

You derailed a serious discussion about a group being killed for their religious beliefs by trying to insert a skewed account of a questionable story about rights infringement between Christian protestors and gays. Don't try to make it sound like you did something better than that. That kind of issue is pumped up in the media to make us lose our focus on this very real outside threat.

[combat_boots]

the local muslim community has made outreach to the family?

Man, anyone vaguely connected with that community would meet with serious firepower on my or my relatives' lawns, and a huge 'No Trespassing' sign. Maybe these should be translated now?

[combat_boots]

Well, the Buddhist would self-immolate, the Dominican would come cast Holy Water and commence with the rite to cast out Lucifer and the Rabbi would..........what would the Rabbi do? None of the 3 have anything in print telling them it is OK to kill unbelievers, as compared to muslims.

[scoastie]

Hate crime was the topic I was discussing with someone who commented about it and my response was to THEM, not you..and I do not remember it being pumped up at all..but that is beside the point...as far as I am concerned, this interaction with you is closed.