<p>July 22, 2011 will be engraved in Norwegian history like April 9, 1940, the German invasion. Words pale before this enormity. The centre of Oslo, where the ministries are located, resembles a war-zone more than during the Second World War, when it was hit by some bombs from the resistance and from England. Even worse was the massacre at the Labour Party youth camp on Utoya Island near Oslo with 86 killed and many seriously wounded.<br /><br />Anders Breivik, 32, who confessed to both attacks, is blond, blue-eyed, ‘nice and polite’ as neighbours say, ‘one of us.’ A 1,500 page manifesto details his political philosophy: he foresees a civil war in Europe weakened by marxism and multi-culturalism between Islam and Christianity. Muslims should leave or face execution. He hates journalists and social democrats for multi-culturalism.<br /><br />The whole world is reaching out to the bereaved and to a country—mine—in a state of shock. Analysis is cold and intellectual, contrary to emotions of sadness and anger, yet indispensable. Understanding why this happened by no means excuses it. But exploring the causes is necessary.<br /><br />Comparison with Sept 11<br />What does July 22 remind us of? The International Herald Tribune of July 23 compared it with September 11, based on an unverified claim by Ansar al-Jihad al-Alami as response to Norwegian forces in Afgha-nistan and insults to the prophet. Norway, strong on the freedom of expression, is deficient on the freedom from insults for muslims. The choice of targets also carry a September 11 type message. The prime minister’s office, those dear to him, the oil ministry—reminiscent of Nato targeting Gaddafi, with rebel oil contracts as rewards? But there is no claim.<br /><br />Breivik was 7 when Timothy McVeigh, a Gulf war veteran, bombed the Oklahoma City federal building on 19 April 1995, killing 168, exactly two years after the US government stormed the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas, killing 76, including women and children. Breivik may have been influenced by that terrorist act.<br /><br />But the massacre on the island, killing 86 face to face in cold blood for 90 minutes, differs from the above. Breivik seems to be by anti-islamism, and like the nazis he hates marxists and social democrats. <br /><br />The massacre fits the nazi model and Western neo-fascism. But why killing labour party youth, as little left-wing and marxist as the Progress Party is right-wing? Both parties agree on the Nato Libya bombing and on buying, at enormous costs, US F35 fighter planes. Why did he not hit an immigration agency, or mosque, or a muslim meeting? <br /><br />At one end is the islamophobic loner with links to some groups. If he could be defined as crazy, the political impact would be removed. Norway could borrow from US 9/11 speeches about ‘evil,’ “nothing to do with anything we have done.” But maybe “something we have not done,” like not spotting him?<br /><br />Let us look forward: What to do now? The prime minister put it well: nobody shall frighten Norway away from its democracy. But, democracy is more than everybody sitting in some narrow ideological niche, as fundamentalist Christian, Progress Party youth, free mason. Democracy is dialogue, challenge, confrontation with others, not merely counting votes every four years. <br /><br />Second, violence is the antithesis of dialogue. Nato had as of July 18, 5858 sorties in Libya; 535 by Norway, dropping 501 bombs. “But the targets were military!” Maybe, but if in Nato an attack on one is an attack on all then an attack from one is an attack from all based on a dubious Security Council mandate with 5 abstentions representing half of humanity, and no Muslim veto power, which would have defeated the resolution. Maybe dialogue would have been better than bombing.<br /><br />Norway did not like that single bomb. May be Libya dislikes 501?; Norway did not like civilians massacred. Maybe so do Afghans?; Beyond that, politics is about conflicts requiring creative, constructive, concrete solutions. Schools and media should train in conflict solution, for a conflict hygiene like we have for health.<br /><br />Maybe we desperately need having dialogues with ‘extremists,’ searching if they possibly also have some legitimate goals, even if they use illegitimate means?; maybe changing the amateurish secret police technicians close to CIA-FBI, with a left eye so sharp that it even sees the non-existing but a right eye so blind that Breivik passed undetected? July 22, 2011 was a brutal ‘wake-up call.’ If we do not learn the lessons, it could happen again. <br /></p>
<p>July 22, 2011 will be engraved in Norwegian history like April 9, 1940, the German invasion. Words pale before this enormity. The centre of Oslo, where the ministries are located, resembles a war-zone more than during the Second World War, when it was hit by some bombs from the resistance and from England. Even worse was the massacre at the Labour Party youth camp on Utoya Island near Oslo with 86 killed and many seriously wounded.<br /><br />Anders Breivik, 32, who confessed to both attacks, is blond, blue-eyed, ‘nice and polite’ as neighbours say, ‘one of us.’ A 1,500 page manifesto details his political philosophy: he foresees a civil war in Europe weakened by marxism and multi-culturalism between Islam and Christianity. Muslims should leave or face execution. He hates journalists and social democrats for multi-culturalism.<br /><br />The whole world is reaching out to the bereaved and to a country—mine—in a state of shock. Analysis is cold and intellectual, contrary to emotions of sadness and anger, yet indispensable. Understanding why this happened by no means excuses it. But exploring the causes is necessary.<br /><br />Comparison with Sept 11<br />What does July 22 remind us of? The International Herald Tribune of July 23 compared it with September 11, based on an unverified claim by Ansar al-Jihad al-Alami as response to Norwegian forces in Afgha-nistan and insults to the prophet. Norway, strong on the freedom of expression, is deficient on the freedom from insults for muslims. The choice of targets also carry a September 11 type message. The prime minister’s office, those dear to him, the oil ministry—reminiscent of Nato targeting Gaddafi, with rebel oil contracts as rewards? But there is no claim.<br /><br />Breivik was 7 when Timothy McVeigh, a Gulf war veteran, bombed the Oklahoma City federal building on 19 April 1995, killing 168, exactly two years after the US government stormed the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas, killing 76, including women and children. Breivik may have been influenced by that terrorist act.<br /><br />But the massacre on the island, killing 86 face to face in cold blood for 90 minutes, differs from the above. Breivik seems to be by anti-islamism, and like the nazis he hates marxists and social democrats. <br /><br />The massacre fits the nazi model and Western neo-fascism. But why killing labour party youth, as little left-wing and marxist as the Progress Party is right-wing? Both parties agree on the Nato Libya bombing and on buying, at enormous costs, US F35 fighter planes. Why did he not hit an immigration agency, or mosque, or a muslim meeting? <br /><br />At one end is the islamophobic loner with links to some groups. If he could be defined as crazy, the political impact would be removed. Norway could borrow from US 9/11 speeches about ‘evil,’ “nothing to do with anything we have done.” But maybe “something we have not done,” like not spotting him?<br /><br />Let us look forward: What to do now? The prime minister put it well: nobody shall frighten Norway away from its democracy. But, democracy is more than everybody sitting in some narrow ideological niche, as fundamentalist Christian, Progress Party youth, free mason. Democracy is dialogue, challenge, confrontation with others, not merely counting votes every four years. <br /><br />Second, violence is the antithesis of dialogue. Nato had as of July 18, 5858 sorties in Libya; 535 by Norway, dropping 501 bombs. “But the targets were military!” Maybe, but if in Nato an attack on one is an attack on all then an attack from one is an attack from all based on a dubious Security Council mandate with 5 abstentions representing half of humanity, and no Muslim veto power, which would have defeated the resolution. Maybe dialogue would have been better than bombing.<br /><br />Norway did not like that single bomb. May be Libya dislikes 501?; Norway did not like civilians massacred. Maybe so do Afghans?; Beyond that, politics is about conflicts requiring creative, constructive, concrete solutions. Schools and media should train in conflict solution, for a conflict hygiene like we have for health.<br /><br />Maybe we desperately need having dialogues with ‘extremists,’ searching if they possibly also have some legitimate goals, even if they use illegitimate means?; maybe changing the amateurish secret police technicians close to CIA-FBI, with a left eye so sharp that it even sees the non-existing but a right eye so blind that Breivik passed undetected? July 22, 2011 was a brutal ‘wake-up call.’ If we do not learn the lessons, it could happen again. <br /></p>
