American Martyrs

Hossam Armanious, his wife, and their two children were ritually slaughtered in their home and the national media, with a few brave exceptions, has been virtually silent. We all know the reason. If Hossam Armanious had been a Moslem who was killed by Christian fanatics, or a homosexual killed by homophobes, his name would have led every national newscast for weeks. Instead, unless we work to honor the memory of these American martyrs, his name will be forgotten and his courage unhonoured.

Let's briefly review the facts of the case. Mr. Armanious, a Coptic Christian, received death threats as a result of anti-Islamic comments he made on an internet website. Several weeks later he and his entire family just happen to be tortured and murdered in just the fashion dictated by the Koran, "Therefore, when ye meet the Unbelievers [in fight], smite at their necks; At length, when ye have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly [on them]."

Armanious' oldest daughter Sylvia, who had a cross tattooed on her wrist, just happened, according to some reports, to suffer repeated stab wounds in that area. We don't know the truth of that matter because, for some reason, the release of autopsy reports has been delayed.

The media (with the complicity of law enforcement who are, without doubt, frightened of becoming the targets of the legions of tolerance) is spinning the notion that this might have been a 'robbery.' Bullshit. Can you think of any other robbery where a family of four was bound, beaten, and then had their throats slit? Does that sound like any simple robbery that you've ever read about? Does that sound likely?

Doesn't it seem more likely that the killers of the family, given what we know, were Moslems? It makes a great deal of sense to me. The behavior of everyone involved gives us no reason to think otherwise. The evidence suggesting that this crime was committed by Moslems is more compelling than anything else that has been publicly released or even suggested. If evidence to the contrary existed, do you think that there would be any hesitation at all in leaking and printing it?

It looks like Hossam Armanious is the American Theo Van Gogh: the victim of a violent and dangerous religion which has been welcomed into the West without adapting to the culture of the West. In many ways, if Armanious was killed by Moslems, it's much worse than what happened to Van Gogh.

In Van Gogh's case at least he had to make a movie before he managed to attract the attention of the Jihadists. Armanious, it appears, did nothing more than say things on an internet chat site. Think about it for a second. As alarming and enraging as what happened to Theo Van Gogh was, at least it fit with our conventional idea of "How the World Works™." To get assassinated, many of us figured, you have to reach a certain level of prominence.

It wouldn't shock me if this was the work of an organized terrorist cell. Their approach is a logical one. It's relatively easy for a properly financed, organized, and well-led group to commit a crime like that, get away, and strike another day. Moreover, were it a terrorist attack, the strategy is perfect. In fact, it's something I've long advocated in reverse.

It's really quite simple. Many people in the Islamic world feel free to support Islamism because it comes without cost. They know that the guy selling terror DVD's in Karachi or the Cleric issuing fatwas in support Jihad isn't going to be a target for American bombs. So, as a result, they feel free to express anti-Americanism freely and to provide support to terrorists which doesn't cross a certain threshold.

Basically, in what I call a "Bottom Up" strategy, that assumption would be shattered. Instead of spending time trying to track down and kill the top members of al-Qaeda, which is hard, resources would be devoted to killing people at the absolute bottom of the chain. Instead of blowing up empty al-Qaeda camps, we'd blow up the banks known to launder terrorist money, along with everyone inside. Instead of trying only to kill al-Qaeda's senior fighters, we'd also regard anyone who expressed even the least support for terror as a target of opportunity.

One wonders if that might be the strategy here. Deploy a small al-Qaeda cell against a number of different people who've simply expressed negative views towards Islam. When it's done, announce what you've done to the world. Explain that everything is on al-Qaeda's radar screen and that, while the terror group doesn't possess Aircraft Carriers or Stealth Bombers, it can strike where it wishes.

If, indeed, Armanious' killers were Moslems and this fact is publicly revealed, it's bound to have a chilling effect on speech about the true nature of Islam and its crimes against humanity. I know at least a few people who are already looking over their shoulders. Were this to be confirmed, I suspect that more than a few bloggers would become more circumspect in their comments.

Frankly, the whole thing makes even me nervous. I'm well aware that I'm hardly among the top-tier of bloggers but, then again, all Hossam Armanious apparently did was post on a message board. If this is confirmed, it cannot fail to have a chilling effect on speech about Islam.

The media needs to report this. People need to understand. If the killers weren't Moslems (or, at least, there's real evidence that they weren't) they need to report it and spread it wide. If they were, they need to report it too. This needs to be a big deal.

We cannot beat the terrorists if we lie to ourselves about their nature. We cannot win wars if we can't be honest to ourselves about the threat.

The world needs to know the name of Hossam Armanious.