The Swedish government doesn’t want to know who attempted to commit terrorist mass murder in Sweden

(Update: In a statement today, Reinfeldt pretends to change his tune, but doesn’t really.)

: Yesterday Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt urged his countryman not to draw “hasty conclusions” about the aborted suicide bomb attack that took place on Saturday evening in Stockholm. Reinfeldt also said that the attack was “unacceptable.” But not because someone was trying to kill people and terrorize Sweden. Oh, no.

It’s unacceptable because Sweden is an open society, and an open society which has shown it is willing that people with different beliefs and backgrounds and gods can live side by side with each other in an open society and democracy that functions well

It’s completely unacceptable for this to happen in Sweden but a lot of questions still have to be answered before we can draw any conclusions.

We need more facts and we need to of course discourage reactions to this until we know more.

For liberals there is only thing that matters and must be defended from threats—not a country, not a civilization, not living human beings, but liberalism. The terror attack is unacceptable because it is a threat to liberalism. Meaning that if the Swedes decide that Muslims pose a threat to Sweden, they might feel less welcoming to them, and that would damage the only thing that matters—Swedes’ total openness to people who are completely different from themselves. This is the “reaction” which, Reinfeldt cautioned, the government must “discourage” until more is known.

Reinfeldt made these remarks sometime on Sunday, claiming that the facts were not yet known. In fact, the bomber, Taimour Abdulwahab Al-Abdaly, sent an audio message in English attached to an email to a Swedish news agency shortly before two explosions on Saturday. Here is the text:

In the name of God the merciful. Prayers and peace to the Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him.

Thanks to Lars Vilks and his paintings of the Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, and your soldiers in Afghanistan and your silence on all this so shall your children, daughters, brothers and sisters die in the same way as our brothers and sisters and children die.

Now the Islamic states have fulfilled what they promised you. We are here in Europe and in Sweden, we are a reality, not an invention, I will not say more about this.

Our actions will speak for themselves, as long as you do not end your war against Islam and humiliation of the prophet and your stupid support for the pig Vilks.

To all Muslims in Sweden I say: stop fawning and humiliating yourselves for a life of humiliation is far from Islam. Help your brothers and sisters and do not fear anything or anyone, only the God you worship.

To my family, try to forgive me. I could not sit and watch while all the injustice happens against Islam and the Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, when the pig Vilks did what he did.

Forgive me for my lies. I never went to the Middle East to work or earn money, I went there for jihad. I hope that you can understand me some time. I could never have told you all this or to anyone.

So, the bomber’s identify, beliefs, and motivations were all well known by Saturday night. He’s a jihadist waging war against Sweden. He’s a Muslim who believes that because a single Swedish cartoonist drew an insulting cartoon of Muhammad, all Swedes deserve to die. He’s an Islamic expansionist who claims that the Islamic states are already established in Europe, meaning that Islamic law—including the law that anyone who insults Muhammad must die—is to be enforced over Europe.

I’d say that’s a pretty factual basis to start from in an effort to understand the meaning of this attack, wouldn’t you? But Prime Minister Reinfeldt claimed that nothing was known about the bomber, implying that it wasn’t even known if he was a Muslim.

But it gets worse. By last night, the media had clearly identified the bomber, but the Swedish government still had not. According to Canada’s Globe & Mail in a story posted at 8:26 p.m. Eastern time:

Officials have not confirmed the name of the dead man, although several news organizations and an Islamist website identified him.

Swedish, British, and Canadian news sites yesterday had lots of detailed information about Al-Abdaly, while the Swedish government was still claiming not even to know his name.

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Dean Ericson writes:

Vell, ve don’t like to yump to conclusions ya know, maybe dat man he was some Svede who vas trying to make it look like de musselmens done it in order to harm our Diversity. Diversity über alles ya know.

LA writes:

Swedish Minister for Justice Beatrice Ask said:

Of course people are upset but there are as far as I know no indication of more attacks, she said to Swedish television. She said she does not believe this will result in increases xenophobia since the Swedish mentality is traditionally open-minded and tolerant.

There, again, is a liberal for you. Your country is targeted by a Muslim jihadist, and your first concern is whether this will lead to an increase in xenophobia against Muslims.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at December 13, 2010 11:03 AM | Send