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Originally Posted by fotze
The anti-immigration sentiment here even doesn't even compare to what is brewing in those nordic countries. An extremist bombing is actually way better for the anti-immigration sides than for whatever goofy cause the bomber is trying to promote.
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Definitely. Anti-immigration (which often basically translates into anti-muslim) has been made into a big political football in Europe, whether it's by cynical political leaders or true-believing ideologues. It's like a hateful machine manufactured to create politics. I don't know what the Canadian perspective is, but there's a real cultural war going on, and it's not between the secular west and some backward islamism, it's actually the age-old fight between the civilized aspects of European culture and its own half-repressed barbarism. People have very short historical memories and they are much too easy to direct towards societal scapegoats.
The basic idea is to create the conditions for a cultural conflict which would not have occurred otherwise. Then you can say, "See, multiculturalism simply doesn't work."
Anti-muslim sentiment is a huge, huge problem in Europe. I know it's pretty much the last surviving semi-acceptable form of racism in America too, but the issue feels more acute in Europe.
8 years ago there was a bomb attack in a mall in Finland which killed 7 people, including 3 children, and wounded 80. That was by a Finnish chemistry student. I find it interesting that now that an "islamic" terrorist has blown himself up, we're supposed to act extra horrified and make solemn pronouncements about how some new era has begun.
Really it's just some sick misguided guy blowing himself up. And now the ghouls gather around to score whatever points they can from it.