Northern New Jersey religious communities in attempt to heal rift

After months of acrimony and failed attempts to bring both communities together following the killing of an Egyptian Christian family, leaders of the Muslim and Christian communities in northern New Jersey (USA) now plan to sign a pledge renouncing hate and committing themselves to greater interfaith harmony. It would be the first step forward in healing a rift that polarized many Coptic Christians and Muslims. The leader of the Hudson County Brotherhood/Sisterhood Association, a group that includes leaders from Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Baha'i communities, said: "It's important to show that we're standing in solidarity with each other". Hossam Armanious, his wife Amal Garas, and their children Sylvia and Monica were stabbed to death on 11 January. Immediately after the bodies were discovered, friends of the family speculated that they might have been killed by Muslims angered over postings Hossam Armanious made in an Internet chat room under the user name "I Love Jesus." The chat room is frequented by both Muslims and Christians. Even after two non-Muslims were charged with the killings, with robbery listed as the likely motive, many in the Coptic community continued to assert religious antagonism was behind the slayings.