JULY 22 INCIDENT
No one in Norway or the rest of the world could have thought that such a brutal and heinous attack on the civilians would occur in a peaceful Norwegian society. The attack carried out by one of its own members, Anders Behring Breivik, 32, on July 22 has claimed the lives of 91 Norwegians. It is severe violence against innocent people and is not only outrageous and wicked but also deplorable in every sense. Breivik, who claims to be a Christian savior, has described his bombing of an Oslo government building and his shooting spree at a youth camp run by Norway´s Labor Party as "atrocious" but "necessary" in his crusade against liberal immigration policies and the spread of Islam.
As his lawyer said, "he believes that he´s in a war" and "he wants to bring about an anti-Muslim Revolution" in Europe and the rest of the world. Despite so many lessons learned from history, unfortunately, such dreadful crimes are being repeated in different parts of the world. Breivik is just one instance of a cold blood killer who does not feel any guilt for his inhuman and brutal offense.
AGAINST CHANGE & CONSERVATISM
Population wise, Norway is one of the smaller countries in the Nordic region. As every prosperous country today, Norway has also walked a long treacherous journey in its history. Like many other Western countries, Norway’s history is not smeared with colonialism. Norway has been regarded as one of the most progressive, transparent and non-corrupt societies of the world. Norwegian democracy, its human rights record and respect to an open society are exemplary and exceptionally appreciable. In a press conference last Wednesday, Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg asserted that the twin terror attacks that have stunned his country will not intimidate Norway and that Norwegians will fight back with "more democracy."
Many of us are shocked by Oslo carnage. But those who believe in true and progressive change in the world should not lose their patience. Instead they need to create more inspiration to build this world into a truly humane-society, free of all kinds of exploitation, discrimination and cultural hatred.
Conservatives and conformists in most of the western world today might not agree with Norway´s progressive stand. Their view is that the failure of capitalism and economic crisis in their societies today is mainly caused by increasing immigration, multi-culturism and cheap sources of labor. They think that Breivik is a product of present society and the shooting would not have happened if Europe had not become multicultural. How can they speak against their own history of the "age of enlightenment" and "human rights revolution" to make their societies free from racism, cultural assimilation and ethnic cleansing?
How can they so easily forget that their “prosperity” today is also backed by the tremendous exploitation of human and natural resources of other countries during the colonial era? The world was never static and is always on the move for change. Conservatives of every society must realize that no one can go against the law of nature, which is why, despite their unwillingness they must compromise with the fact that the world belongs to all and their existence is possible only through mutual respect and recognition of contributions for each other.
EXTREMISM EXISTS EVERYWHERE
No society in the world is absolutely free from challenges and risks. In order to resolve their problems, people might have different kinds of political thoughts and approaches. In every society around the world, there are people and groups who wish to resolve their contradictions with extremist ideas and actions. Of course, they have rights to act accordingly and criticize the ideas of others, but such actions should be carried out in a non-violent and peaceful way. It is evident that in the world we live, people also follow the means of violence in order to impose their ideas and beliefs upon others. If others do not listen, no matter whether they belong to extreme far-right or left, they target and victimize the innocent with their atrocities and insanity. The Norway massacre is just one instance, of many, that has been taking place in different parts of the world.
No matter how genuine the cause may be, any kind of violence such as cold blood killing, abduction, enforced disappearance, rape and sexual abuse, use of children in violence and bomb attacks in civilian areas are violations of human rights and crimes against humanity. They are terrorist and gutless actions against guiltless people and are not acceptable to a civilized society. Whatever is happening today in the name of "Muslim Jihad," "Christian War" or "Hindu Holy War," or actions based on similar radical thinking is a move toward inhumanity. It is against the law of nature. Anders Breivik is just one herald of conservative idealism. In his 1500 pages manifesto of ‘hate,’ he has clearly stated that he is against multi-culturalism, feminism, and all kinds of liberalism.
WHAT WE NEED TO DO
The world today is gradually transforming into a global village. All the human beings of this planet are granted equal right to "life, liberty and security" in order to make this world a better and safer place to live in. Article 1 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) ensures that "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of fraternity." The world is a common home for people of all cultures, languages, ethnicities, sexes, and geographical regions.
This world does not belong to any unilateral fixation. That is why we need to believe in pluralism and celebrate the diversities in everyday life. The world has become more beautiful because of its diversities. We need to learn to live together by respecting others’ culture, language and religion. Many of us are shocked by Oslo carnage. But those who believe in true and progressive change in the world should not lose their patience. Instead they need to create more inspiration to build this world into a truly humane-society, free of all kinds of exploitation, discrimination and cultural hatred. In the name of the "Christian War against Muslims," Anders Breivik rained thousands of bullets against innocents, but the great Norwegian people unswervingly rejected his terrorist action and named it "a dreadful crime against humanity." In tears, they are offering their tributes to their lost ones with a sea of flowers. We, in Nepal, extend our solidarity to the silent protest of red rose march of Oslo.
The writer is a member and spokesperson of National Human Rights Commission
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