The Norway terrorism

The first reports about the bombing in Oslo and the shooting rampage at a youth camp in Norway, which killed at least 85 people, made the initial assumption that it was possibly the work of Al Qaeda in retaliation for Norway's role as part of the NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Now we learn that -- quite the opposite -- it was the heinous work of 32-year-old Norwegian Anders Behring Breivik, who has been identified as a right-wing fanatic who hated "cultural marxists" and was trying to start a crusade against the spread of Islam in Norway.

He seems to ascribe to ultra right wing bigotry, has apparently admitted he made the attacks but was quoted by his lawyer as saying that his acts were "atrocious, but necessary."

A video he had apparently posted on YouTube had the caption: "Before we can start our crusade we must do our duty by decimating cultural marxism."

To me, this is far too familiar as the extreme position of what we're hearing in our country every day. All the ranting about Obama imposing "socialism," as though he were the devil incarnate.

Islam has no monopoly on religious/cultural extremism. This anti-Islam atrocity in Norway should make people think twice about the anti-Muslim bigotry expressed by Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain.

He has been trying to backtrack ever since his first statement that he wouldn't be comfortable having a Muslim as a member of his cabinet. He has since allied himself with those protesting the building of a mosque in Tennessee. And he still maintains that "any community has a right to ban a mosque."

Newt Gingrich was hardly less vocal in his opposition to the building of an Islam communit center and mosque in lower Manhattan.

How different from Anders Breivik's manifesto are some of the rhetoric and the protest signs that show up at Tea Party crowds and other rabid Obama-hating rallies? Not a whole lot. Multi-culturalism, socialism, Muslims wanting to take over our country and impose Shariah law. Lumping all Muslims with their extremists and wanting to tar them all with the same brush.

The hatred and fear is at a fever pitch, even in this country. True leaders should be addressing those fears, not inciting them even further.

There are just enough kooks and mentally unstable folks out there who will pick up the assault rifles and start shooting -- to carry out the acts that this kind of rhetoric suggests, even if they deny that they intend violence.

Ralph