And now it appears that even *I* was wrong about today's terrorist attack in Norway. There is a supreme irony here: I jumped up, in my blog entry immediately prior to this one, determined to use words from the Qur'an and Hadith not only to indict the terrorists but to defend Islam against the inevitable anti-Muslim backlash we always see whenever anything like this happens.
God truly does have a surreal sense of humor.
It now appears that today's events in Norway were not a Norwegian 9/11 but rather a Norwegian Oklahoma City. The parallels are chilling: the perp is a young man who attacked his own country because of an irrational hatred of its government's control over the citizenry. He was a radical-right conservative, heavily armed, and he used a bomb made from farm-fertilizer. In this case though, the guy took things further: he massacred a large gathering of teens and young adults who were attending a summer-camp sponsored by the liberal socialist political party that has dominated Norway's political landscape for decades. Decades during which, I might add, a remarkably stable steady-state economy was realized through a coherent philosophy of democratic socialism with a tightly regulated marketplace, comprehensive reinvestment of national oil profits, nationalized healthcare, and a national trust fund.
Isn't it ironic that earlier today I leapt forward to defend Islam against the scourge of fundamentalism which has placed such a blight on its beauty in the Western mindset, when it was actually one of "my own kind" who was responsible? Since I took it upon myself earlier today to "school" some Muslim extremists (who turned out not to exist) with Islamic Scripture, it seems only fair that I do the same to the actual perp (who identifies as a Christian) with the New Testament:
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake. (Matthew 5:7-11)
Then shall He answer them, saying, 'Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to Me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal.'
(Matthew 25:45-46)
If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath; for it is written: 'Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.' Therefore: 'If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink. For in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.' Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
(Romans 12:18-21)
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