The rage yesterday in Jersey City at the funeral for the Armanious family attests to the fact that the victims died in one of the most disturbing murders in years. Hossam Armanious, his wife, Amal Garas, and his two daughters, 15-year-old Sylvia and 8-year-old Monica, were found stabbed to death in their Jersey City home on Friday. The killer bound and gagged the entire family before cutting their throats. Armanious, an Egyptian Christian, was known for vigorously expressing his religious beliefs in debates with Muslims on the Web site paltalk.com. Some Muslim users of the site threatened Armanious and his family, but he refused to silence himself.

No doubt it will be some time before there is a definitive account of these killings. But what triggered the turmoil at the funeral yesterday is outrage in the Egyptian Christian community, well founded it seems, that Armanious was put to the knife because the killers opposed his right to express his views. It is a reminder that the battle with Islamic radicalism is not confined to Iraq or Afghanistan, but exists within our borders. And also that there are decent Middle Eastern immigrant families, Muslim and, in the case of Armanious, Christian, who are willing to stand up to their more radical neighbors. America stands with them.