The following article will be published in a special issue about ThinkYoung at the November-December edition of the European Business Review.
Terrorism
doesn't rhyme with Europe.
About Brevik's
so-called insanity.
Tuesday 29th of November, Old Europe blinded itself from the sad truth that slowly is taking control over the minds of its citizens. Breivik, insane? The long-awaited decision by the two psychiatrists gave me a bitter taste of disappointment and disbelief.
Without insinuating that I know better than the experts themselves, nor implying that Breivik isn't a madman, which he clearly is, I however believe it's rightful to question his level of insanity as well as his level of consciousness before, during, and after the July 22 mass-murder.
Soon after the decision got public, many in the international medical and legal community have expressed doubts and surprise regarding Breivik's insanity, arguing there are very very few people who are not able to tell right from wrong at the time of the acts, and yet those people still may not be declared insane, especially in the sense of criminal law, said Kristian Andenæs, a Criminal Law Professor at the University of Oslo.
If the decision is confirmed, therefore, Breivik would avoid jail and be sent directly to a mental institution, having to follow a compulsory treatment. However, and this is what matters the most, if Breivik responds well to the treatment and is later declared healthy, he could legally be freed, without having to face jail time. One must be 100% sure of his evaluation to bear such responsibility.
The impact of the July 22 atrocity doesn't stop at the Norwegian border, however. As many others, I had hoped the old continent would take a step ahead and use this tragedy as an open door to discuss the rise of nationalism, populism, extremism, and anti-Islam that is steadily growing on our soil.
Are Christian and Islamist terrorism so different in purposes for one to be declared insane? Are Bin Laden, to take only him, and Breivik not sharing the same philosophy, the same thoughts, the same hatred vis-à-vis the infidel enemy? Do they not consider themselves as martyrs for the glory of their faith? So why would one be declared insane, living in his own delusional universe where all his thoughts and acts are guided by his delusions while the other is considered to be the most dangerous terrorist the world has yet to know. I have serious doubts that a man, who has planned these attacks for such a long time, such as Bin Laden once did, can be qualified only as mentally insane.
Defining Breivik as a terrorist doesn't seem to be difficult though, if we base our definition on the United Nations General Assembly resolution 49/60. It indeed states that Criminal acts intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public, a group of persons or particular persons for political purposes are in any circumstance unjustifiable, whatever the considerations of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or any other nature that may be invoked to justify them. Seeing a mere link to Breiviks insanity?
I am not accusing Norway to have deliberately declared Breivik insane so as to avoid dealing with its problems. That would go a bit too far, indeed. However, I believe Norwegians and Europeans have missed a shot in recognising that terrorism can be other than Islamism-related, and in opening a discussion between their communities.
In the midst of an economic, financial, social, and human, crisis, the old continent was given a choice. Its decision resulted in a sad attempt to, once again, silence multiculturalist issues within its frontiers. Maybe it is time for rusty Europe to face its old Christian demons and open its arms to the stranger.
« Cécile Viault holds a Master holds a Master Degree in International Politics from the University of Warwick in the UK, and is a collaborator with ThinkYoung. »
To read more of her articles follow her blog, « The living interlace ».
Cécile Viault is member of the writing team of ThinkYoung.