Right On!

To some, it is just a continuation of the seemingly continuous invasions and attacks from Islamic forces that began in the 7^th century and continued on and off unabated until roughly the 18^th and 19^th centuries when the Ottoman Empire – dubbed the “sick man of Europe” – and the Mughal Empire in India began to crumble before an onslaught of modern European expansionism enabled by vast improvements in military technology. Islam took a breather until oil and corrupt leadership supported by Western powers fueled “empowerment” from a toxic mixture of anger and oil money ignited new angry violence. To a growing right wing movement throughout Europe the Muslim attacks have begun again. They see a clash of civilizations and a failure of a philosophy of religious tolerance as the story of the twenty-first century.

Unlike the economic immigration from Latin America to the United States, much of it undocumented, the “invasion” of Muslims is seen by the European right wing in terms of an “us versus them” survivalist movement based on subverted warfare, one that may have generalized negative feelings to people of color or even Europeans from poorer nations, gypsies or anyone seen as “different.” That destructive Islamist cells, with terror on their minds and bombs in their hands, can be found with increasing frequency in cities like Frankfurt, Germany or Manchester, England lends credence to the hardliners who seek a new exclusionary policy. When extremist fundamentalist clerics speak of total destruction of Israel and the West of Holy War (Jihad), this generates a growing suspicion of all things and all people who and which are Muslim. Intolerance breeds intolerance.

Most people on earth want to be able to make their livings, live their lives, practice their faith, and simply be left alone. But there are always extremists who thrive in societies driven by corruption, poverty, lack of educational opportunities, particularly in generally impaired economic times. They need scapegoats and forces to rally against to increase their power. With the Internet age, their ability to speak and reach millions has never been greater… and they can cross international boundaries as electronically disguised ghosts. Their visibility, sparked with occasional attacks with real weapons, has raised the fear factor and has created a strong movement with retaliation and closed borders as their methods of choice.

The brutal July 22^nd murders in and around Oslo and Utoya, Norway, which left over 90 people dead, were purportedly implemented by a desperate Norwegian farmer – their version of Timothy J. McVeigh (the Oklahoma bomber) – who believed that the liberal elite leadership (and their children gathered on the island of Utoya to camp and meet government ministers) had betrayed the country in an ocean of openness and religious tolerance that had brought Muslims to the heartland: “The police have identified the suspect as Anders Behring Breivik, who in his writings has portrayed himself as a modern knight, charged with driving out Islam and immigrants and the political correctness that he said had been wrongly invited into Norway and was thriving there.” New York Times, July 23^rd.

While Breivik’s methodology was universally condemned, his underlying message resonated with a growing right wing European movement that shares his views: “The attacks in Oslo on Friday have riveted new attention on right-wing extremists not just in Norway but across Europe, where opposition to Muslim immigrants, globalization, the power of the European Union and the drive toward multiculturalism has proven a potent political force and, in a few cases, a spur to violence… The success of populist parties appealing to a sense of lost national identity has brought criticism of minorities, immigrants and in particular Muslims out of the beer halls and Internet chat rooms and into mainstream politics. While the parties themselves generally do not condone violence, some experts say a climate of hatred in the political discourse has encouraged violent individuals.

“Last November a Swedish man was arrested in the southern city of Malmö in connection with more than a dozen unsolved shootings of immigrants, including one fatality. The shootings, nine of which took place between June and October 2010, appeared to be the work of an isolated individual. More broadly in Sweden, though, the far-right Sweden Democrats experienced new success at the polls. The party entered Parliament for the first time after winning 5.7 percent of the vote in the general election last September.

“The bombing and shootings in Oslo also have served as a wake-up call for security services in Europe and the United States that in recent years have become so focused on Islamic terrorists that they may have underestimated the threat of domestic radicals, including those upset by what they see as the influence of Islam.” NY Times. We can expect this clash of civilization to remain a significant undercurrent in global politics, and with continuing economic devastation and with many in the West facing permanent unemployment, Western rage is also likely to find scapegoats in immigrant communities, a lesson that history has taught us from the past.

I’m Peter Dekom, and we need to look at violence being fomented against us from outside forces… and obviously from the anger of our own citizens.