Good Tuesday morning. Here’s a look at today’s opinion content:
Norway massacre: Editorial
We comment on Friday’s violence in Norway, which left 76 dead, and the consequence of sustained anti-Muslim rhetoric. Anders Behring Breivik, the mastermind of the two massacres, authored a 1,500-page screed that drew on fears of Islam and its followers. We write:
There surely is no real comprehending or explaining the gluttonous violence Friday that left scores of innocents dead in Norway, yet it would be foolhardy to ignore the roadmap provided by the accused killer, Anders Behring Breivik. His 1,500-word manifesto is a tour of a twisted mind and at once a testament to the dangerous reach of a U.S. export — virulent, far-right, anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant rhetoric.Norwegian authorities are still sifting through the facts surrounding the slaughter on two fronts: a bomb blast in Oslo that shredded lives and tore open building fronts, and a 90-minute shooting spree at a Labor Party camp on the island of Utoya. The Norwegian Breivik has been blamed for the attacks; his manifesto, however, finds considerable inspiration from U.S.-based bloggers and Western writers whose stock in trade is Islamophobia.
An accounting in The New York Times attributes 64 quotations in the Breivik manifesto to American Robert Spencer, purveyor of the website jihadwatch.org, which is a running primer on “violent jihad,” “Islamic terror” and “Islamic imperialism.” For his part, Spencer draws inspiration from New York; his website links to the Spencer-featured documentary “The Ground Zero Mosque: The Second Wave of the 9/11 Attacks,” which addresses the “planned Islamic supremacist mega-mosque at Ground Zero.” The blurb at Amazon.com, quoting one of the film’s collaborators, states it is “perfect for showing your skeptical friends and family what we’re really up against, and explaining to them how and why we must fight back.” …
More opinion
Here’s a glance at what our colleagues are saying today:
In Norway, evil beyond debate: Editorial, Newsday
State parks still popular, needed: Editorial, Poughkeepsie Journal
Drop surcharge on businesses: Editorial, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
A down-to-earth lesson in taxes: Editorial, Albany Times Union
