Flowers float on the water after being thrown by participants of a vigil walk near Utoya Island on July 26, 2011
In the aftermath of the bombing outside the offices of Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and several other government buildings on Friday, followed by the methodical shooting of dozens more on the Norwegian island of Utoya, victims and observers remain stunned by the scale of the attack.
In the immediate aftermath, while Oslo operated in a “state of chaos” according to CNN International, accusations flew, suspicions, suspects and theories piled up. The Wall Street Journal quickly pointed the finger at Islam in an op-ed only hours after the attack—referencing the Danish cartoon controversy.
Jennifer Rubin at The Wall Street Journal built on the theories of The Weekly Standard that that the attack was likely launched by some “part of the jihadist hydra.” Her analysis was that the attack was retribution for the filing of charges against Mullah Krekar—founder of Ansar Al-Islam, a branch of Al-Qaeda in northern Iraq—only two weeks ago by Norwegian authorities. She summed up that the events of Friday were “a sobering reminder for those who think it’s too expensive to wage a war against jihadists.”
As the facts became clear, a picture of a Norwegian man, Anders Behring Breivik, 32, with anti-Muslim, anti-Marxist and anti-Multicultural views as the chief perpetrator of the attack emerged. In the coming days and weeks who this individual is and the scale of his effort will become clearer. Many are preoccupied with the nature of the examination of the events of the last week: the large scale loss of life, the nature of homegrown terrorism but also the damage done by superficial reporting in the immediate hours following the attack.
James Fallows at The Atlantic demanded an apology for Rubin’s piece in “The Washington Post Owes the World an Apology for this Item,” stating that the events were not a sobering reminder of the necessity of some wars, but “a sobering reminder for those who think it’s too tedious to reserve judgment about horrifying events rather than instantly turning them into talking points for pre-conceived views. On a per capita basis, Norway lost twice as many people today as the US did on 9/11. Imagine the political repercussions through the world if double-9/11-scale damage had been done by an Al-Qaeda offshoot. The unbelievably sweeping damage is there in either case.”
Indeed the victims were targeted for their party’s position on integration issues. According to the Utoya camp’s website: “Throughout the week different people with lots of experience in politics will talk about various topics. So if you are interested in inclusion issues, gender equality, environment, education policy or international affairs—or just interested in learning how to become a good speaker and debater, then Utoya is the right place for you.” In the coming weeks The Majalla will be keeping an eye on the global reaction to the attacks, the implications for European policy, and will as always remain firmly committed to honoring the tragedy with strong analysis and reporting for the purpose of advancing solid dialogue.