Tragedy in Norway, and the tinge of Islamophobia lurking behind it

#Islamophobia. I've mentioned it briefly in past posts, but here's another (brief) thought:


Following the bombing in Oslo and tragic massacre at a nearby youth camp, you'll find that initial speculations blaming Muslim extremists spread quickly, in one case even mistakenly reporting that one had claimed responsibility. For instance, the last thing I read on the matter before hitting the hay last night was this WaPo article, eyeing up a Kurdish group as potentially responsible. Both then and now, my mind is occupied by two thoughts: 1.serious horror and sadness that anyone would do such a thing, and 2.concern and disappointment both a.at the possibility that it could have been a Muslim group, and b.(as of this morning) that such Islamophobic tendencies came out in the face of the fact that the suspect is, ironically, an extreme right-wing Norwegian native, and apparently is himself Islamophobic.


"Irony" really isn't a strong enough word here, nor does it portray the tragedy of the entire situation, but it's all I've got at the moment. 


There are a few things people are likely to think of in connection to Scandinavia (and this is a conversation that has come up several times since my arrival in Denmark): Hans Christian Andersen, Kierkegaard, Vikings, lots of fish, socialist tendencies, well developed, cold, Mohammed cartoon fiasco. Several years afterthefact, a discussion on that last factor can still turn into a serious debate, even amongst Danes. Naturally, it's impossible - and grossly unfair - to stereotype an entire culture... and when I say that, I refer both to Scandinavian cultures and to followers of Islam and Arabic cultures. 


The sad fact remains, however, that Islamophobia is a global issue, and has become particularly pronounced in the rather homogeneous societies of Scandinavia. In Denmark, for instance, if you're not Danish, you're likely to be either Middle Eastern or Eastern European. Either way, your reputation will proceed you, like it or not, and it will not be a positive portrayal. Your nationality, ethnicity, and/or religion will suggest you an extremist, a cheat, a liar, a thief, and generally a source of increased violence and crime rates in an otherwise peaceful and organized society. Often, to be perfectly honest, these stereotypes can be heard from highly intelligent, liberal-minded natives as well, with the disclaimer that it is not all but most or many, and the point that statistics tend to support such claims, to a certain extent. Still, this cannot possibly validate these negative stereotypes in my mind, and any new instance or statistic that seems to support it is that much more upsetting for the very fact that it encourages such negative responses.


...So now it seems that the horrifying acts originally suspected to be carried out by Muslim extremists were, in fact, carried out by an Islamophobic native Norwegian. Tragic and concerning in so many ways.


Thoughts are with Denmark's northern neighbors and the friends and families of the all-too-young victims.




**Note: This post was written before the surfacing of apparent motives and posts (Islamophobia, cultural suprematism, etc). "Tinge" of Islamophobia is clearly a gross understatement.