Demonstrators from European anti-Islamic groups converged on Aarhus, Denmark March 31 to protest what they call the Islamization of Europe, as police tried to keep them apart from a larger group of counter-protesters.
The report documents the activities of about 300 groups and individuals worldwide — including many in the United States — that increasingly overlap in fund-raising and rhetoric, but have diverse origins.
Generally, these groups maintain that there is an Islamic plot to take over the Western world, and that there is little difference between the hardline Islamists and the majority of Muslims, according to the report, “Counter-Jihad,” published to coincide with the start of Breivik’s trial in Oslo.
It argues that the 9-11 attacks by Islamic extremists provided fuel for counter-jihad extremists — themselves provoking violence by individuals like Breivik.
“As this report graphically shows, the bloggers, radio hosts and journalists are increasingly shaping and poisoning the wider political and media discourse,” it says in the introduction. “Breivik acted alone but it was the ‘counter-Jihadist’ ideology that inspired him and gave him the reasoning to carry out these atrocious attacks.”
The Norwegian gunman has admitted killing 77 people in a bomb attack and shooting spree but will argue that his actions were taken in self-defense, based on his belief that Islam and massive immigration have threatened his culture and existence.
In a 1,500-page manifesto and a YouTube video posted to the Internet just hours before the attacks, Breivik laid out his views, including the idea that liberal policies advocating multiculturalism threaten Western culture. His victims were mainly young people associated with Norway’s liberal party who were attending a camp on a nearby island.
“The EU is formally surrendering an entire continent to Islam while destroying established national cultures, and is prepared to harass those who disagree with this policy,” he wrote. “This constitutes the greatest organized betrayal in Western history, perhaps in human history, yet is hailed as a victory for ‘tolerance.’ ”
“My advice to Westerners in general is to arm themselves immediately, first of all mentally with knowledge of the enemy and pride in their own culture and heritage, but also physically with guns and the skills to use them,” Breivik wrote.
MSNBC has the full article
