Norway Attacks: Now What?

Norway Attacks: What does this mean?


What happens when you respond to hatred with hatred? Anders Breivik killed many in an act of terrorism comparable to terrorist attacks by Muslim extremists. What was the cause and motivation behind this horrific event? His 1,500-page manifesto reveals that it was his hatred towards Islam and fear of the “Islamization” of Europe. Much of the fear and hatred towards Muslims in the West comes from, or is at least reinforced by, the 9/11 and other recent terrorist attacks. So we can logically see that in response to Breivik’s hatred towards Muslims, he ironically committed an act of terrorism that was very similar to these “Muslim” terrorism acts that ignited his hatred in the first place. What’s scary is that more people in the West share this notion of “Islamophobia” than do Muslims share the views of Muslim terrorists.

We must question whether Breivik’s act will help wipe out Muslim extremists and acts of terrorism, or create a response, which may be violent. In one act, many different groups of people are directly affected. His manifesto indicated that he acted as a “Christian extremist,” which would capture the attention and responses of Christians. He also acted as a “right-wing political extremist” which may spark the political left or other political right-wing members who don’t share his views to respond. But mostly, his actions directly affected Europe’s large Muslim and immigrant populations. There are over 100,000 Muslim residents in Norway, many of them immigrants from Pakistan, Iraq, Somalia, Bosnia, and Iran. If I was a Muslim living in Norway, I would probably be extremely afraid that people disapprove of my presence to this level. Even mere supporters of multiculturalism in Norway have reason to be scared. Breivik’s manifesto stated, “We, the free indigenous peoples of Europe, hereby declare a pre-emptive war on all cultural Marxist/multiculturalist elites of Western Europe. ... We know who you are, where you live and we are coming for you…We are in the process of flagging every single multculturalist traitor in Western Europe. You will be punished for your treasonous acts against Europe and Europeans."

In addition to creating room for reactions, this act also could pave the pathway for more who share the same opinions as Breivik. He is not alone, or even a minority, in his beliefs. He was inspired by Robert Spencer among many others who have a large network of followers. Baroness Warsi, the chairman of the main party in Britain’s governing coalition, has said that anti-Muslim prejudice has “passed the dinner table test” and become socially acceptable in the UK. Is it becoming socially acceptable in the US and in the rest of Europe too? It seems like it, as Glenn Beck publicly stated that he thinks the Norway shooter is “right,” and many others share his attitude.

Why does this matter to the US? We’re not that far off from Europe in terms of how socially acceptable it is becoming to express feelings of Islamophobia. In a report by the Council on American-Islamic Relations which surveyed Americans on their perceived level of Islamophobia in the US, the average rating was 6.4 out of 10 with 10 being the highest, for how severe the Islamophobia is in the US. So what happens when you respond to hatred with hatred? It can only breed more hatred and violence, and this terrorist attack was an excellent example of a scary potential domino effect.