Juan Coles' take on the Norway terrorist attacks, Muslim immigration and the Know Nothing Party.

[pampango]

http://www.juancole.com/2011/07/when-extremism-learns-to-blow-things-up.html

Norwegian right wing terrorist Anders Behring Breivik kept a diary in which he obsessed about the dangers of cultural Marxism, multiculturalism, and the “Islamification” of Europe ... Breivik saw Muslim immigration in particular as a threat to the very identity of Europe. That is, if the immigration from the Middle East were allowed to continue, then ultimately there would be no Europe, just a big Iran on all sides of the Mediterranean.

Breivik’s thinking is not new under the sun. Protestant Nativists of the “Native American” and later “Know-Nothing” (i.e. secret society) movement in the 1830s through 1850s in the United States felt exactly the same way about Catholic immigrants to the US. America wouldn’t be America if this went on. Their values were inherently incompatible with the Constitution.

Catholic immigrants to the US, like Muslim immigrants to Europe, cannot in fact be characterized in a black and white way. Catholics in the contemporary US are politically and socially diverse, but on the whole are more socially liberal than evangelical Protestants. That is, if the Know-Nothings were afraid of an anti-Enlightenment religious movement, it would have been to their own, Protestant ranks, that they should have looked.

As for contemporary Muslims in Europe, they are diverse. Overwhelmingly, e.g., Parisian Muslims say that they are loyal to France. About half of the Turks in Germany are from the Alevi sect, a kind of folk Shiism, and most of those are not very religious and politically are just social democrats (oh, the horror of Breivik’s nightmare– Muslim progressives in Europe!) That the few hundred thousand Muslims in Spain (pop. 45 mn.) , or the 4 million in Germany (5 percent of the population) could effect a revolution in European affairs of the sort Breivik fears is frankly absurd...

Unfortunately, some unscrupulous billionaires, Rupert Murdoch and the Koch Brothers prominent among them, have honed their propaganda skills in the media and public life. The promotion of hate, panic, and fear, especially if it is tied to specific political, ethnic and religious groups, always risks violence.

[malaise]

1. The fact that both the Murdoch hearings and this despicable act

took place during the same week is profound.

The Murdochs of this world have facilitated the rise of the right and their extremist views being discussed in the so called main stream media. Corporate money made this possible.

Unfortunately, some unscrupulous billionaires, Rupert Murdoch and the Koch Brothers prominent among them, have honed their propaganda skills in the media and public life. The promotion of hate, panic, and fear, especially if it is tied to specific political, ethnic and religious groups, always risks violence.

[scarletwoman]

2. Indeed. +1,000

[WinkyDink]

3. Is or is not the US bombing the bejeebers out of Muslim nations

currently, and trying to over-throw yet another Muslim leader? Are THESE acts because of the Kochs and Murdochs?

[CJCRANE]

4. The Murdoch media promoted the wars...

they were hand in glove with Bushco and Blair.

Remember this from the Times of London?

[pampango]

5. This has what to do with a Norwegian terrorist's antipathy for Muslim immigrants in his country?

This antipathy has been ginned up by right wing billionaires like the Kochs and Murdochs.

My guess is that Breivik (the Norwegian terrorist) is all for bombing Muslims since that would leave fewer whom he has to worry about wanting to immigrate to Norway. It's not like his terrorist attack was in protest of Norway's actions in the Middle East. Quite the opposite.