'ISLAMIC HATE' EYED IN SLAYS
By DOUGLAS MONTERO and STEFAN C. FRIEDMAN //
/January 16, 2005/ -- The father of a murdered New Jersey family was
threatened for making anti-Muslim remarks online — and the gruesome
quadruple slaying may have been the hateful retaliation, sources told
The Post yesterday.

Hossam Armanious, 47, who along with his wife and two daughters was
found stabbed to death in his Jersey City home early Friday, would
regularly debate religion in a Middle Eastern chat room, one source said.

Armanious, an Egyptian Christian, was well known for expressing his
Coptic beliefs and engaging in fiery back-and-forth with Muslims on the
Web site paltalk.com.

He "had the reputation for being one of the most outspoken Egyptian
Christians," said the source, who had close ties to the family.

The source, who had knowledge of the investigation, refused to specify
the anti-Muslim statement. But he said cops told him they were looking
into the exchanges as a possible motive.

The married father of two had recently been threatened by Muslim members
of the Web site, said a fellow Copt and store clerk who uses the chat room.

"You'd better stop this bull---- or we are going to track you down like
a chicken and kill you," was the threat, said the clerk, who was online
at the time and saw the exchange.

But Armanious refused to back down, according to two sources who use the
Web site.

Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy would neither confirm nor deny that
cops and prosecutors were looking into the religion motive, saying only
that "nothing is being ruled out." But a relative of the mayor who
answered the phone at Healy's home said there was information the
murders were "religion-related."

"There are several theories we are looking into, but we are not
commenting on any of them at this time," said Hudson County Assistant
Prosecutor Guy Gregory.

Armanious' fervor apparently rubbed off on his daughter, Sylvia — who
would have turned 16 yesterday.

"She was very religious and very opinionated," said Jessica Cimino, 15,
a fellow sophomore at Dickenson HS.

A family member who viewed photos of the bloodbath said Sylvia seemed to
have taken the most savage punishment.

"When we saw the pictures, you could tell that they were hurt really,
really bad in the face; especially Sylvia," said Milad Garas, the
high-school sophomore's great-uncle.

The heartless killer not only slit Sylvia's throat, but also sliced a
huge gash in her chest and stabbed her in the wrist, where she had a
tattoo of a Coptic cross.

Also found murdered were the wife, Amal Garas, and the parents' other
daughter, Monica.

Fred Ayed, the deacon at St. George and St. Shenouda Church, where the
deeply religious family attended services, said he's worried that the
murders could have a ripple effect.

"I am concerned for the safety of our community," said Ayed, who knew
Hossam for 30 years. "People are scared because one family was slain
like cows," said Moheb Ghabour, publisher of a local newspaper for the
Coptic community.

Osama Hassan, director of the Islamic Center of Jersey City, described
the relationship between Copts and Muslims as cooperative if not friendly.

"I think there might be people that can get into physical fights, but
not to the point of murder," Hassan said.

Both the deacon and uncle poured cold water on the theory that the
family were the victims of a robbery gone wrong.

"This is not a robbery, Ayed said. "We found all of the jewelry in the
house. They didn't take anything."

The FBI confirmed it has been called in to help with the case.

/Additional reporting by //Heather Gilmore/
--

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