Family Of Four Murdered In Jersey City

[fayoumy]

Thank You, Mr. Administrator

[fayoumy]

السيد المشرف

المؤتمرالصحفى والاعلان خطوات عظيمه و قويه...الف شكر لكل المنفذين...

الرجا شرح كيف يمكن المساعده ماديآ حيث ان كل هذه الجهود اكيد تكلف مبالغ طائله...نداءالي جميع الاقباط ان يعضدوا كل هذه الجهود..كل واحد علي حسب مقدرته

[Bohira]

بيان من الهيئات القبطية بجميع فروعها المنتشرة حول العالم فى ذكرى رحيل شهداء عائلة أرمانيوس
نشر البيان فى الواشنطن تايمز 2/15/2005

The Blood of the Armanious Family Cries Out For Justice

It was in the year 1997, in his hometown, Luxor, in Upper Egypt that Hossam Armanious, a Coptic (Egyptian) Christian, was exposed to the most troubling scene of his life. Terrorists surged into the Temple of Hatshepsut and massacred 58 Western tourists. The incident was one of the deadliest acts of terrorism in modern history. Blood ran like a stream over the ground of that ancient city. The event compelled Hossam and his family to pack-up and leave that very year. They headed towards America seeking freedom, prosperity and security. Never did they imagine that they would face a similar dreadful fate in the USA. On Friday January 14, 2005, the police broke into the Armanious family house in Jersey City and discovered the bodies of Hossam (47), his wife Amal (37), and their two daughters, Sylvia (15) and Monica (8). They were all found bound, gagged and stabbed to death. Words cannot express the shock that this criminal calamity caused civilized peoples around the globe to experience. To date, the authorities have not yet come forth with an official declaration of motive or suspects for the crime. They still have a challenge of solving this cruel injustice and bringing it to closure. Even though many people harbor what seem to be logical theories, we can not rush to judgment or point the finger of guilt towards any group. That is a responsibility reserved for law enforcement investigative agencies and the courtroom. While we Copts in the USA and elsewhere thank the authorities for their efforts thus far, we urge them to diligently and aggressively continue their search and investigation until the criminals are arrested and brought to justice. Every relevant question must be asked, every lead must be pursued and every suspicious group must be investigated. No effort should be spared, and no stone should be left unturned in order to make sure that such a crime would not pass It has been said, “A man’s home is his castle.If the Armanious family could not find safety in their home in America, how can other Americans expect to find safety in theirs? To honor the memory of the Armanious family, and for all Americans to regain the sense of security in their homes, we dearly need to see that the killers who committed this heinous crime are identified, arrested and brought to justice. We fully trust that the American law enforcement system will uncover the facts and render justice to the victims.
The family speaks at their first press conference today, Tuesday, February 15, 2005 at 3:00 pm in the National Press Club’s Zenger Room in Washington, D.C.

Sponsored by the following Organizations

•American Coptic Association, USA •American Middle Eastern •Christian Association, USA •Christian Copts of California, USA •Coptic American Friendship Association, USA •US Copts Association, USA •Canadian Coptic Association, Ontario, Canada •Canadian Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, Canada •UK Coptic Association, UK •European Coptic Association, France •French Coptic Association, France •Australian Coptic Association, Australia •Australian Egyptian Human Rights Association, Australia •Al-Masry Newspaper, Australia

Supported by the following Activists

Youssef Awad, MD, USA Mounir Bishay, USA Safwat Guindy, DDS, USA Claire Hanna, USA George Hanna, USA William A. Hanna, PhD, USA Kamal Ibrahim, MD, USA Milad Iskander, USA Saad Iskander, USA Atef Jacoub, USA Magdy Khalil, USA Khairy Malek, MD, USA Michael Meunier, USA Victor Michael, DDS, USA Seratial Misdary, USA Heidi Saad, USA Saad Michael Saad, PhD, USA Ehab Yacoub, MD, USA Nabil Abdelmalik, Canada Fayek Botrous, Canada Mishriki Guindi, Canada Maher Riskalla, Canada Emad Youssef, Canada Helmy Guirguis, MD, UK Ibrahim Habib, MD, UK Nagi Awad,France Adel Gorgy, France Adel Guindy, France Samuel Fahed, Australia Fikry Max, Australia Nazuih Youssef, Australia Amal Garas

For More Information
Calcopts@aol.com (310) 641-3387 / Copts@Copts.com (202)737-3660

[Bohira]

Coptic Church Urges Thorough Investigation
In Murder of Jersey City Family
Friday, January 21, 2005

Thursday, January 20, 2005 the East Coast Coptic Orthodox Clergy met at the Coptic Orthodox Archdiocese of North America, located in Cedar Grove, NJ and issued the following statement

The Coptic Orthodox community is horrified and grieved by the recent brutal murder in Jersey City, NJ of a Coptic Orthodox Christian family. Hossam Armanious, 47, his wife Amal, 37, and their two daughters, Sylvia, 15, and Monica, 8, were found slain in their home on Friday, January 14, 2005. According to early reports, each one of the family members was found bound and gagged with their throats slashed

The Armanious family was a devout, Christ-loving family, who followed the peaceful teachings of our Savior Jesus Christ. They were active members in the parish community of St. George & St. Shenouda Coptic Orthodox Church of Jersey City, and were loved by all in the church and in the community at large

Since the discovery of the murdered family, there have been many rumors and speculations about possible motives circulating throughout the community and in the media. The Church trusts that the proper authorities will continue to conduct their investigation in a manner that is comprehensive and complete and which will result in justic
The Coptic Orthodox community is concerned that this brutal killing may have been the result of a hate crime against a Coptic Christian family. Although the Coptic Orthodox Church does not condone jumping to any conclusions or singling out any one specific group until all the facts have been discovered, this crime has sparked an outpouring of emotion and resulted in unrest in our community. Fear and concern also resonate throughout many other communities of New Jersey since countless families, regardless of background, feel more vulnerable to crime in light of the Armanious family killing

We urge the authorities to give this criminal investigation the highest priority and we pledge our complete cooperation in that regard. We expect the dedication of every necessary resource until the truth is established; the authorities bring the perpetrator(s) immediately to justice, bring closure to this heinous act and maintain peace and safety in our streets and homes. Anything less will be unjust and result in further unrest in the community

The Church prays for the repose of the souls of the Armanious family, and for peace and unity in our communities and the whole world. We pray that the law enforcement officials apprehend the perpetrator(s) and quickly bring them to justice. We also pray for the perpetrator(s) that they may find repentance, and turn themselves in to the authorities in order to restore peace to all

The Coptic Orthodox Church is an Apostolic Church founded by St. Mark the Evangelist (Gospel writer) in the first century A.D. in Alexandria, Egypt. The Coptic Orthodox Church is the original church of Alexandria and is one of the oldest Christian Orthodox churches. The Coptic Orthodox Church has been native to Egypt, the Middle East, and Africa until its first immigrants came to the United States and other countries and established churches beginning in the 1960’s. Currently, there are over 200 Coptic Orthodox Churches in North America

For more information, please contact
Fr. Antonious Tanious
(732) 947-0922

يا جماعة ليه بتلصقوا الجريمة في المسلمين وليه بتسموا الغرب متحضر إيه الحضارة التي بتنتج سجن زي أبو غريب ايه هي حضارة الأفلام الإباحية حضارة انتشار الجريمة في المجتمع الغربي

[fanous2102]

طب وسجن ابو غريب يكون ايه جنب نقطه شرطه الكشح
علي الاقل هناك حرب و الحروب ياما بيحصل فيها
لكن مجانين الشرطه المصريه و امن دولت فاقوا سجن ابو غريب

[knowjesus_knowlove]

المشاركة الأصلية بواسطة عبدالمسيح أبونقطة

يا جماعة ليه بتلصقوا الجريمة في المسلمين وليه بتسموا الغرب متحضر إيه الحضارة التي بتنتج سجن زي أبو غريب ايه هي حضارة الأفلام الإباحية حضارة انتشار الجريمة في المجتمع الغربي

الأخ يوساب بإسم جديد..يآدى المصيبة...ضربتين فى الرأس توجع

أنا جتلى نقطة

[Pharo Of Egypt]

دماء الشهداء تصرخ للعدالة

[yaweeka]

Copts fear Christian conversion sparked unsolved murders

By Maria Sliwa
© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

Evangelical Christians in the United States have reason to keep an eye on the murder investigation of four Coptic Christians slain last month in New Jersey. Family members who viewed the bodies say they suspect the brutal slayings were a warning not to proselytize to Muslims. They say that the body of Sylvia Armanious was clearly the most viciously attacked in the killings, causing them to wonder if it was because she was too vocal in sharing her faith.

"Sylvia talked about Jesus to everyone," her uncle Ayman Garas said. "She was extremely religious."


On Jan. 14, the bodies of Amal Garas, 37, her husband, Hossam Armanious, 47, and their daughters, Sylvia, 15, and Monica, 8, were found in their home bound and gagged, with puncture wounds to their throats. The unsolved murders were thrust into the spotlight again earlier this month, when the relatives of the victims went to Washington, D.C., to meet with lawmakers and hold a press conference on their concerns about the case.

"We aren't looking for trouble, we are just looking for the facts," Emil Garas, an uncle of one of the victims, said.

While Dr. Monir Dawoud, the acting president of the American Coptic Association, says that proselytizing is not a common practice among Coptic Christians, it is quite common for the denomination of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church Sylvia attended in Jersey City. Congregants at this church call themselves "born-again."

A number of Sylvia's friends, who attend the Mid East Evangelical church, say a problem ensued after Sylvia befriended the Muslim daughter of a Halal butcher she encouraged to convert to Christianity. They say that they fear Sylvia's Christian influence on this girl may have provoked the harsh retribution that followed.

Fellow churchgoers say they are worried that the Jersey City murders will encourage an increase in the persecution of converts (and those who convert them) in the U.S., as is the case in Egypt.

According to Freedom House, a nonpartisan organization that monitors the global spread of democracy, Coptic Christians in Egypt live in fear and subjugation. "While Egypt has no explicit law against apostasy, the influence of sharia law on the civil code is creating a de facto law." Each year thousands of Copts convert to Islam, many under pressure, and Christians have an emigration rate three to four times that of Muslims. Coptic church sources estimate that over a million Copts have left Egypt in the past 30 years.

But Hamed el Shenawany, the president of the Al Huda Islamic Center in Jersey City, says that though it is possible that a "crazy fanatic" could have sought retribution for this kind of thing, this is not the case with most Muslims in the United States. "America is the land of the free and Muslims are free to convert to any religion they want," el Shenawany says.

Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, senior terrorism analyst at the Washington, D.C.-based Investigative Project, a terrorism research center, disagrees. "It's an unfortunate fact that even in the West many converts from Islam to Christianity are driven underground in the practice of their new faith because they fear retaliation," he says.


A number of converts in the U.S. have received serious threats, particularly if they're outspoken in their new faith. Although obtaining information on these threats can be difficult, because they're generally under-reported, without digging too deeply I can think of at least 10 cases since the mid-1990s in which apostates from Islam living in the West have reported threats, in places that include Chicago, Los Angeles, New Jersey, Britain and the Netherlands. In some cases, the apostates have reported actual physical violence.


Mohamed Saleh (who changed his name for this article for fear of retribution) is a former Muslim from Egypt who says he fled to America in 1992, after he was severely beaten for converting to Christianity. He says he was threatened in 2001 when he began discussing his faith with Muslims on PalTalk, a New York City-based internet chat service. Though Saleh admits that his debates were often too fervent on the Net, he was shocked to find photos of himself and family members, along with all of his contact information, on a radical Islamic website called Gegadeath.com. Below Saleh's picture was a statement of warning. After he appeared on Gegadeath, Saleh says he received numerous death threats on the phone and quickly moved to another state.

Last month, Ahmed Mohamed, 36, a former Muslim in Colorado, was one of the targeted Christians whose photo and contact information were posted on another radical Islamic website, Barsomyat.com, for debating Muslims on PalTalk. He says that since his information was posted, he has received numerous threats on the phone, in person and in letters he has received in the mail. Mohamed says, though sometimes afraid, he is prepared to die for his faith.

Last Tuesday, New Jersey Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said that though no suspects have been identified in the murders, all leads are being pursued.

According to information obtained by Robert Spencer, the director of Jihad Watch, from sources close to the murders, the Halal butcher had planned the killing for months and several of his accomplices are still in the country. Spencer says police are investigating these allegations.

Though Family members live in inconsolable grief, they say they continue to hope that the murderers will soon be identified.

"I think of Amal, Hossam, Sylvia and Monica all the time." Sylvia's grandmother Ferail Garas said. "Like a movie, their deaths keep playing over and over in my mind. Whenever I am alone, I cannot stop ing."

"I just want the killers of my family found."


Maria Sliwa is a freelance journalist based in New Jersey and the founder and publisher of Freedom Now News.

[Pharo Of Egypt]

ATM Videos May Lead To N.J. Family's Killer

NEWARK, N.J. -- For the first time since an Egyptian family was tied up and murdered in Jersey City in January, Hudson County authorities say they're confident they'll be able to catch whoever did it.

Surveillance videos from an automated teller machine may lead authorities to the killer of the Armanious family, Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said Tuesday.

Someone using Hossam Armanious' debit card removed thousands of dollars from several of his accounts during a string of ATM visits in the days following the murders of Armanious, his wife and their two young daughters.

The suspect used the Bank of America card at ATMs in Jersey City and midtown Manhattan starting on Jan. 15, the morning after the four were found stabbed to death inside their home, and continued for five days, DeFazio said.

The prosecutor said Tuesday investigators were able to identify the make and model of a car that drove up to an ATM in Jersey City, and were working on reading the license plate number from the ATM video.

"I think we're going to get someone with this, I really do," DeFazio said.

The withdrawals, during which Armanious' personal identification number was entered, provide new evidence to support the theory that robbery was the motive for the killings.

Members of the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox community to which the Armanious family belonged have blamed the killings on Islamic extremists. Friends of the family have speculated that Armanious might have angered Muslims with his postings in an Internet chat room frequented by Christians and Muslims.

Hudson County prosecutors and the FBI, while never dismissing the religion angle, have focused on a financial motive. DeFazio said that while religion still has not been ruled out, such a motive "is looking less and less likely."

The killings, in which family members were bound and gagged and stabbed repeatedly in the head with knives from their home, have exacerbated tensions between Muslims and Christians in Jersey City and elsewhere in northern New Jersey.

Some in the area's Coptic community refuse to believe that robbery was the primary motive, and continue to push for the killings to be classified and investigated as hate crimes. Although there was evidence of robbery at the house, a large amount of jewelry remained untouched

http://www.wnbc.com/news/4245090/detail.html

[sammy]

الأخ يوساب بإسم جديد..يآدى المصيبة...ضربتين فى الرأس توجع

ك.ك. ياحبيبى بعد الشر على أخونا يوساب... صاحبك من نوع ..." الرب يحفظك" واخدلى بالك...

[knowjesus_knowlove]

واخدلك بالى قوى خالص مالص يا أبو السام ولكن أنا مصر أنه يوسابى النزعة وليس " الرب يحفظك" النزعة
إقرأ كل ردوده هنا وإنت أكيد ستغير رأيك ...

http://www.copts.net/forum/search.php?searchid=20430

وربنا يشفى الجميع

Two people have been arrested in the murder of a New Jersey family -- a case that caused religious tensions.

The victims were members of an Egyptian Christian family -- a husband and wife and their two children. Their bodies were found in January.

The slayings caused animosity between Christians and Muslims in New Jersey. Friends of the victims speculated that the father had angered Muslims by posting in Internet chat rooms under the user name "I Love Jesus." And many Coptic Christians in New Jersey and elsewhere blamed Islamic extremists.

But prosecutors aren't giving a motive for the slayings. They've said robbery may have been a factor.

Someone used the victims' A-T-M card to withdraw thousands of dollars from a bank account in the days after the slayings.

[iwcab]

ممكن الوضوع يكون دينى وسرقة فى نفس الوقت لأن الوصايا الإسلامية توصى بالسلب فى حالة القتل

[Peace4All]

الصبر لسه البوليس مش عايز يقفز لاستنتاج كون فى احد الاشخاص استخدم بطاقة الااتمان هذا طرف خيط محدش يعرف حيوصل لفين بس عمر السرقة ما تم بالطريقة دى , يقتلوا اسرة كاملة عشان كام الف دولر ده زى الى قتل نموسة بقنبلة