Norway Massacre Exposes Christians To 'Terrorist' Stereotype Muslims Have Faced Since 9/11

[Purveyor]

By JESSE WASHINGTON AP National Writer , The Associated Press -

When the "enemy" is different, an outsider, it's easier to draw quick conclusions, to develop stereotypes. It's simply human nature: There is "us," and there is "them." But what happens when the enemy looks like us _ from the same tradition and belief system?

That is the conundrum in the case of Norway and Anders Behring Brevik, who is being called a "Christian extremist" or "Christian terrorist."

As westerners wrestle with such characterizations of the Oslo mass murder suspect, the question arises: Nearly a decade after 9/11 created a widespread suspicion of Muslims based on the actions of a fanatical few, is this what it's like to walk a mile in the shoes of stereotype?

"Absolutely," said Mark Kelly Tyler, pastor of Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. "It clearly puts us in a position where we can't simply say that extreme and violent behavior associated with a religious belief is somehow restricted to Muslim extremists."

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http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/apArticle/id/D9OQPNKO1/

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1. Deleted message

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[wtmusic]

2. This story out of AP?

Who would have thought.

Wouldn't have happened 5 years ago.

[Diclotican]

3. Purveyor

Purveyor

I belive, strongly belive, that we can get fanaticals, and extremist, in all stripes and fasions, christians, as islamic... And I am afraid that when the bomb first was blowing in Oslo, I also belived it to be the work of an islamic group of sorts... Thankfully I was wrong, and it was proven, by hours that it was no group conected to OBL, or some other extremist of islamic faith, but in fact a norwigian, who had planing this for 9 years, made a manifest in english.. And have getting all the different tools, to blow up government offices, and kill a lot of totaly innocent kids at Utøya.. In the week after the bomb, many muslims, have came forward, and told their stories, that they was scared as the rest of us, and also afraid about been targeded as the gulity party.. Some norwigians was not up to the task im afraid of say... But for the most part, thankfully we was up to the task, and was not hunting down muslims after the blast.. And after it was known, that it was an norwigian, most norwigians, turned against using violence against our new nabours from other parts of the world... Many muslims, have after the first shock, also, that they in some way, was thankfully it was not muslims who attaced Norway, becouse the recourse could be bad for everyone...

He claim to be an conservative christian, he might be that im not sure...I know a few conservatives - who also is christian, but they was as horribled as the rest of Norway by this horrible act. But to be honest, I doubt that his christianity was the only reason he wanted to blow up our government and to kill a lot of sivilians at Utøya, the youth camp for our Labour Party..it have been known in the week following the bomb, that he had been in contact with far right extremist, in UK, in France, and other nations on th continent... And mr Breivik, have really proud, claimed to be friends of many of the higest powerbrokers in the fair right movement in UK, and in France and a few other nations.. Even tho the same persons, have turned their back on him, and clearly stated that he was never friends of THEM, and that he must be a real evil person, to do something like this.. In france, they even fired a few persons, who had stated sympatic words to Breivik from their twitter account.... Mr Galtung, a rather known norwigian, both abroad and in Norway, have stated that the ideals mr Breivik is close to, is nazism, as many of the wiewpoints Breivik have, is the same as the old nazisms of the 1930-1940s, and the older groups of nazism have had, even after the end of the 3th reich...

But first, and foremost, I belive mr Breivik, to be extremely mad.. In fact Im afraid that we have never really experienced a person like Breivik in norwigian court system in modern time.. I belive the doctors, who are there to try to understand, and find out if he is able to stand trial or not, is confused as the rest of us are.. Becouse he is more or less a person that is not easy to understand.. And even his trial attorney have stated, that the only defence they have, is to claim that he is insane.. (sinnsyk) And have also stated, that mr Breivik, is quit up in his own little world, where he are a hero, and a person of large importance for the history of Europe...

Anyway, this is a case where the court system are more or less in unsharted water.. Even tho they can claim him to be nutters, and put him in a mental hospital for the rest of his life, if he is able minded to stand trial, they should let him do it.. He wil anyway NEVER be able to leave prison, as no one on the outside, wil let him live to long... Even inside the prison where he are for the moment, many murderes and killers, who have had many many years in the prison, are shocked as the rest of us.. One of them even said, that he have never been a good guy, but this was little over the top for even him, and he have been in and out of prison for the most part of his adult life... For the moment, he was inside for 12 year, becouse he had killed a person..

Diclotican