پایگاه خبری تحلیلی شرق سایت خبری تحلیلی شرق Related Articles
The 32-year old Anders Behring Breivik mentioned his meetings with the English Defense League (EDL) leaders before the July 22 slaughter at a youth camp on the Norwegian island of Utoeya, a Press TV correspondent reported.
The EDL is a far-right British street protest movement, which opposes the spread of Islam and Islamic teachings all across the UK.
In a dossier released just hours before the shootings on Utoeya, Breivik said he had met the EDL leaders, and even supplied them with ideological material during the group’s formation.
On Friday, at least 94 people were killed and scores injured in twin shooting and bomb attacks in the Norwegian capital, Oslo, and a nearby island.
The Norwegian terrorist says on his website he advised the EDL, “If there isn’t a militia or paramilitary group for your area, MAKE ONE.”
“The organization may start out as a street demonstrating organization like the EDL, or it may start off as a paramilitary organization … it is the only way to avoid paralyzing scrutiny and persecution,” he went on to say.
The EDL has condemned Breveik’s actions, denying any links to him.
The league also denies that they are targeting Muslims. However, they have described Islam as a threat to Britain, and their protests often descend into violence.
The EDL has warned that an atrocity similar to the one in Norway could take place in Britain if the right to protest is restricted.
This, coupled with the arrests of people like Neil Lewington, who developed a bomb factory in his home to target those he considered non-British, and Martin Gilliard who produced nail bombs for use against Muslims, has raised fears within the UK’s Muslim community.
The UK Muslim leaders are calling on governments across Europe to wake up to the threat of anti-Islamic extremism and stop pandering to far-right nationalist movements that have made inroads in politics from the Netherlands to Austria.
“People are looking over their shoulders and afraid that we will be the next target,” said Mohammed Shafiq of the Ramadhan Foundation, one of Britain’s largest Muslim organizations.
“As a result, we’ve told people to be extra vigilant and there will be added security placed at mosques,” he said.
Meanwhile, the British media also stands accused of inflaming the situation by printing misleading stories that demonize Muslims.
The Sun newspaper was quick to blame al-Qaeda for the massacre in Norway before any of the facts had been established.
For many years successive British governments and the media have concentrated on what they describe as violent extremism amongst Muslims, ignoring repeated warnings about the rise of groups like the English defense League
.
