The recent tragic events in Norway have saddened the world. It has been reported that a 32 year old man, Anders Behring Brevivik is believed to be the lone assailant responsible for the shootings at a youth camp on an island in Norway; as well as the Oslo bombing.
Many people lie dead. Numbers extending into the nineties. Most of the dead were young people on summer holiday at a camp on Utoeya Island. The youth group for The Labour Party of Norway, gathered together to learn more about the bombing in Oslo. Dressed as a police officer, Breivik commenced to shooting. Leaving the wounded in heaps. He shot the piled bodies repeatedly, hoping to kill more hiding among the dead.
The vicious assault came shortly after a bomb went off in Oslo. The Christian Post reports that the intended target was Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg. He was unharmed.
The gunman labeled as a right-wing Christian fundamentalist has been vocal about his dislike for multiculturalism and Islamists. Often, writing about it in blogs.
Initially, reports were made that this was the act of a Middle Eastern terrorist group. Which later turned out to be incorrect. Criticism about fact checking and speculation are starting to surface. The American Muslim was particularily harsh in it’s condemnation of news organizations. Calling for readers to check out other articles with words in the titles such as, Why do they hate us and A shameful day in journalism.
It should be noted that Helpers of Global Jihad claimed involvement upon first hearing about the attack. Jihad Watch details how this group thought this was punishment for un-believers and retribution for the occupation of Afghanistan. The message was interpreted by Will McCants, a faculty member at Johns Hopkins, as well by Jihad Watch.
Now, that the true culprit, a extemely sun deprived white male with blond hair and blue eyes, has been exposed. Political ideologies such as Conservatism are under assault. The gunman a so called Christian and to the right of Norway’s Labour Party, (Norway is a social market economy, with a welfare state and an increasing Muslim population) spewed hatred to those he opposed. He can in no way be considered a Christian or a Conservative. As his actions don’t represent either. As reported by Reuters, Pope Benedict XVI called for Norwegians to resist hatred and conflict.
I think the proper label for this deranged man should be hate monger.
Hatred knows no boundaries. It is my sincere hope that that those in opposition to parties on the right do not place blame. As was done in the Gabrielle Giffords shooting. The Tea Party took a beating for that. It is easy to parlay events, and demonize , but what should be remembered is ,a madman is simply a madman.
My heartfelt sympathy goes out to all the victims and their families.