MR. BREIVIK: A TASTE OF THEIR OWN MEDICINE

It is no secret that a large number of Christian leaders and their flock have an extremely negative view of Islam, habitually going so far as to equate the Moslem religion with Islamic extremism, and even with Al Qaeda terrorism. We know, however, that many professing Christians are no angels themselves. Under the guise of Christianity, they are prone to inciting hatred and even committing acts of violence against Islamic communities, Koran burning, etc. They have declared a “war of civilizations,” supporting America’s current and prospective wars in Islamic countries not as specific political wars for whatever reasons, but each as a perfectly natural part of a generic global religious war against the Islamic culture.

The current surge of Christian anti-Islamism is consuming so much energy that certain formerly rampant outbursts of ultra-Christian intolerance, such as bombings of abortion clinics and acts of individual violence against ideologically unacceptable targets, have recently faded into the background. Today, the name of the enemy is Islam, Islam, Islam! A suicide bomber somewhere?---Islam! Any act of terrorism?---Islam!

Not surprisingly, on hearing the tragic news from Norway, some conservative American commentators were trigger-happy to repeat the anti-Islamic mantra: Terrorism?---Islam! The conservative political commentator and popular talk show host Laura Ingraham is of course a famous case in point.

But now comes the very unpleasant revelation that Mr. Breivik was not a Moslem at all, but a self-righteous “Christian warrior,” and the New York Times quotes Norwegian police describing him thus: “What we know is that he is right wing and a Christian fundamentalist.”

And immediately there is an outpour of indignant protest from the same quarters where Islamic terrorism has long been equated with Islam: How dare you call this monster a Christian? He is not one of us!!!

I have no desire to equate Breivik with any Christian denomination or with Christianity as such. This would be outrageous. But I hope that the inevitable multiple occurrences of having Breivik and Christianity in one sentence may today give those Christian bigots who are by now quite used to putting terrorism and Islam in one sentence, a taste of their own medicine.