Muslims are not terrorists

Muslims held their breath on the evening of the treacherous terrorist attack that took place in Norway in fear that the perpetrator was a Muslim. Of course they breathed a deep sigh of relief when they discovered that the perpetrator was a Norwegian Christian terrorist. What happened in Norway was a crime of terrorism that has implications and lessons not only for the Norwegians but also for the West and for Muslims.
The first lesson is that the hallmark of extremism and fundamentalism is treachery. Terrorist extremism only aims for “easy targets”, and that is why we find terrorists – from all denominations and with different motivations – targeting innocent people in buildings, planes, trains, markets, and schools, in order to kill the biggest number of victims possible and spread terror. An extremist is somebody incapable of [engaging in] dialogue and convincing others of his ideas, and of course he cannot accept others, whatever they may be. This is the truth and refers to [people from] all denominations. We have seen the treachery of extremism and terrorism numerous times, whether through state terrorism, or the terrorism of individuals or organisations.
This is what happened when poisonous gases were released in Japan, and we also remember the attacks committed by individuals such as the bombing of Oklahoma City in America in 1995. There were the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, and of course the 9/11 attacks before that, which were carried out by Al-Qaeda, alongside other attacks in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and several countries. There was also the Lockerbie bombing, which is an example of state terrorism.
What happened in Norway is also a message to everyone that terrorism is still the main threat to people and to countries. The Norwegian extremist was able to put on a fake police uniform and deceive everybody and kill around 98 people. After discovering the identity of the Norwegian terrorist, we must also pay attention to the fact that not all terrorists are Islamists, which means that the West must stop reinforcing stereotypical, negative images of Islam and Muslims. Arabs and Muslims must also refrain from representing the role of the victim, and justifying the acts of some of their people through denial and justification by claiming that all the different political events in the region are feeding terrorism. These excuses, even if there is a degree of truth to them, reveal cultural and educational flaws and distort religious concepts, which leads our youth to relate to extremist ideology, and resort to violence and bloodshed.
The Norwegian extremist is a “Christian Jihadist”; yet he did not carry out the massacre because Norway is a member of NATO, and is participating militarily in Afghanistan and Libya; rather he is an extremist with regards to his views against Muslims and against his country as a whole. Can anyone justify his horrific actions? Of course not. This is what we must remember, regardless of religion. We must reject extremism whether it takes the form of actions, statements, or incitement, as justifying terrorism is no better than terrorism itself. The states and media of the West rushed to denounce the crime that took place in Norway even before had ended, whilst we see others among us justifying terrorism and terrorists under various pretexts. The clearest example of this was the reactions of some, including those who call for reform and rights in the country, regarding the trial of a terrorist cell even though the trial is yet to finish!
Just as we say terrorism has no religion, we should also say that there can be no sympathy or justification for it, whoever the perpetrator might be and whatever his religion or motivations. All of us, regardless of our backgrounds, have become victims.