The Mass Murderer and the Writer

The mass murderer in Norway was a right-wing hater of what he considered to be the Islamization of his country. He blamed the liberal government for these policies which was why he attacked a government building and the children of Labour Party officials at an island camp.

He read Bruce Bawer's thoughtful work on the dangers of ignoring the rise of Islam in Norway.

Bawer responds today in an OP-ED piece:

It came as stunning news that Norway had been attacked by a blond, blue-eyed, anti-Islamic terrorist. It should not have been: Several of us who have written about the rise of Islam in Europe have warned that the failure of mainstream political leaders to responsibly address the attendant challenges would result in the emergence of extremists like Breivik.

But I was stunned to discover on Saturday that Breivik was a reader of my own work, including my book "While Europe Slept: How Radical Islam Is Destroying the West from Within." In comments posted in 2009 on a Norwegian blog, document.no, Breivik expressed admiration for my writings, but criticized me for not being a cultural conservative (although he was pleased that I was not a Marxist, either).

...In Norway, to speak negatively about any aspect of the Muslim faith has always been a touchy matter, inviting charges of "Islamophobia" and racism. It will, I fear, be a great deal more difficult to broach these issues now that this murderous madman has become the poster boy for the criticism of Islam.

Read it all.