Right-wing pundits and bloggers were quick to leap to judgement that the Norwegian terror attacks were the work of al-Qaeda or an Islamic terrorist. But the news that the attacker had blond hair and blue eyes and was inspired by right-wing “counterjihad” bloggers suddenly turned the tables on many of the bloggers and supposed “terrorism experts.”

Anders Breivik’s manifesto contains numerous in-text and footnoted citations to prominent Islamophobic bloggers, supposed experts on Islamic terrorism and think tanks claiming to be on the frontlines of battling Islam’s attacks on democracies.

Individuals cited in Breivik’s manifesto include: Center for Security Policy‘s President Frank Gaffney; “counterjihad” bloggers Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer; Investigative Project on Terrorism’s Director Steven Emerson; Middle East Forum President Daniel Pipes; and controversial historian Bat Ye’or.

Organization’s cited by Breivik include: the Foundation For Defense Of Democracies (FDD) and the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

Also receiving mention were the Clarion Fund’s Islamophobic documentary “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West” and right-wing Pajamas Media. Here’s a chart highlighting the number of references:

While a citation in the manifesto is far from an endorsement of violence by those Breivik referenced, it is increasingly clear that the Islamophobic right-wing in the U.S. influenced his views.

When news broke on Friday of what appeared to be a terror attack in Norway, right-wing pundits in the U.S. were quick to point the finger at Islamic extremism, with some even publicly doubting that the killings could be motivated by right-wing views. Then when we finally learned that the terrorist was Anders Breivik, a blue-eyed, blond Norwegian apparently motivated by anti-Muslim nationalist views, the Islamophobes and alarmists on the right began contorting themselves to express support for his cause while dismissing his tactics.

Many of these pundits, walking back their early accusations of Islamic terror, fell back on the notion that “jihadists” were still a threat no matter whether or not the Norwegian attacker was one.

“It’s one of the first instances since Oklahoma City when terrorism on this scale was not Islamic,” said a former Bush administration official on Fox News. (At the time, conservatives also tried to blame the Oklahoma City bombing on Islamic terrorists.)

“There are many more jihadists than blond Norwegians out to kill Americans, and we should keep our eye on the systemic and far more potent threats that stem from an ideological war with the West,” wrote Washington Post neoconservative blogger Jennifer Rubin from an American perspective.

But according to Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, the Europeans — part of Jennifer Rubin’s “West,” to be sure — actually faced a minimal threat from Muslim extremist terror. Here’s a chart highlighting Europol’s numbers from 2009 and 2010:

So out of 543 failed, foiled or successfully carried out terror plots in Europe in 2009 and 2010, only five — less than one percent — were related to Islamic extremism. (HT: Dan Gardner)

ThinkProgress intern Sarah Bufkin contributed to this post.

Close U.S. ally Saudi Arabia blocked Amnesty International’s website, according to a press release from the London-based human rights group. Last week, Amnesty published a leaked copy of a Saudi draft anti-terrorism law that they said “would allow the authorities to prosecute peaceful dissent as a terrorist crime.”

“Instead of attacking those raising concerns and attempting to block debate, the Saudi Arabian government should amend the draft law to ensure that it does not muzzle dissent and deny basic rights,” said Amnesty Middle East and North Africa director Stuart Malcolm in today’s release.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has made Internet freedom a major plank in her foreign policy approach and has delivered two lengthy addresses on the issue. During the height of the Arab Spring, the U.S. heavily criticized countries that curtailed Internet use in order to prevent protesters from organizing online using social media sites. Indeed, just last week, a senior advisor to Clinton told Radio Free Europe that the U.S. will speak out against any country — including U.S. allies like Saudi Arabia — that prohibits internet freedom:

RFE/RL: The United States has been pushing for Internet freedom around the world. Do these efforts include U.S. allies; namely Saudi Arabia, which is considered an enemy of the Internet by rights groups.

ALEC ROSS: There are 195 countries on Planet Earth. The focus of the State Department is on 194 of them. Our Internet-freedom agenda is focused on 194 countries.

RFE/RL: So it applies to Saudi Arabia and Bahrain? Does the U.S. raise these issues with the leaders of those countries? [...]

ALEC ROSS: [Y]es, whenever any country significantly breaches what we believe to be longstanding universal rights, the United States speaks up.

Earlier this year, after pressure from activists and rights groups such as Amnesty, Clinton, a longtime advocate for women’s rights, praised the “brave” Saudi women who defied a ban on driving in a civil disobedience protest action.

So if the State Department’s “Internet freedom agenda” incudes Saudi Arabia, will the U.S. “speak up?”

As the world struggles to make sense of the tragic attacks in Norway last week, it has become apparent that Anders Behring Breivik, the main suspect held by police, left a long trail of online comments, a YouTube video, and a manifesto outlining his political beliefs. The New York Times reports today, Breivik “endeavored to find common cause with xenophobic right-wing groups around the world, particularly in the United States” and his manifesto “quoted extensively from the anti-Islam writings of American bloggers.”

In his manifesto, Breivik cites an assortment of right-wing figures, but a troubling theme is evident in the 1,500 page document. Breivik was directly influenced by the same cadre of American anti-Muslim activists that have gained a powerful following in the contemporary conservative movement in recent years. Many of the leading Islamophobes who inspired Breivik have also been responsible for a rising tide of hate campaigns, from the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque” hysteria to a disturbing trend of demonstrations against Muslim Americans across the country:

– Breivik cites neoconservative Islamophobe Frank Gaffney on opposition to Turkey joining the EU, and reprints a post from Gaffney’s think tank, the Center for Security Policy: Gaffney, a former Reagan official, is a regular on Fox News, a writer for the Washington Times op-ed page, a sought-after speaker at major conservative conferences, and a ubiquitous talking head on talk radio. His think tank created a website to orchestrate protests against the the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque” in Manhattan. When he is not arguing that President Obama is a secret agent of the Muslim Brotherhood or claiming that radical Muslims have infiltrated the top levels of American government, he is calling for people who practice Islam to be prosecuted under sedition laws.

– Breivik cites blogger Pamella Geller several times in his manifesto, reprints articles praising her: Geller, the writer behind the popular anti-Muslim blog Atlas Shrugs, has been perhaps the most proactive anti-Muslim activist, given the fact she was the first to smear the planned Park51 community center as a “victory mosque” and was involved in demonstrations against the construction before most of the media gained an interest. As Geller travels the country promoting her belief that Muslims are an inherent threat to American society, she has been connected to protests against mosques in California, Tennessee, and other states.

– Breivik posts a 45-minute interview with Brigitte Gabriel, a leading organizer of grassroots anti-Muslim activism: Gabriel is the author of several popular anti-Muslim books, is the founder of ACT! For America, a group Gabriel created to engineer a permanent activism base for efforts to scapegoat Muslim Americans. Her group has collaborated with Tea Party groups, pushed bans on Sharia law in states, and mobilized a vicious hate rally in Orange County earlier this year. In an interview with ThinkProgress, Gabriel confessed that she regularly advises Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rep. Peter King (R-NY).

– Breivik extensively quotes Robert Spencer, a leading anti-Muslim writer sponsored by David Horowitz: Spencer’s blog Jihad Watch, along with Geller’s site (Spencer and Geller created the group “Stop Islamization of America” to distribute action alerts), have driven anti-Muslim memes in the news for years. Sponsored by David Horowitz’s think tank, Jihad Watch has led efforts to purge the Republican Party of Muslim Americans and is a constant purveyor of strange anti-Muslim claims, like one recently that former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) had secretly converted to Islam. Despite his links to Holocaust deniers and other unsavory individuals, Spencer provides punditry for Fox News, National Review, and other top conservative media organs. ThinkProgress has found his books sold at CPAC, the College Republican conference, and events for Young Americans for Freedom.

– Breivik linked ten times to video clips for the movie Obsession, a documentary created by a secretive group called the Clarion Fund: In 2008, a mysterious organization called the Clarion Fund mailed the documentary Obsession to 28 million households in swing states leading up to the election. The movie argues that Muslims are waging a war against America, and will stop at nothing to destroy western civilization. Clarion has subsequently produced more films, which are distributed and publicized widely by Geller, Gabriel, Spencer and other leading anti-Muslim activists. The group is chaired by a number of prominent Islamophobes, including Gaffney and Daniel Pipes.

The American media has failed to connect the dots in recent years as anti-Muslim activists like Geller, Spencer, Gaffney, and Gabriel have played an incredible role in fomenting a surge in anti-Muslim hate in America. Most reporters latch onto right-wing opportunists like Newt Gingrich, who at the height of the Ground Zero Mosque protests added fuel to the fire with his own bigoted comments. But there is a well-financed, well-coordinated effort among far right Islamophobes to orchestrate a “crusade” against Muslims. While the American Islamophobe machine has mostly inspired petty vandalism against mosques and racist demonstrations in the United States, the massacre in Norway is a grim reminder that dehumanizing hate can have dangerous but unintended consequences.

Freshman Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN) caused a stir earlier this year when he referred to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a civil rights group for Muslim Americans, as “basically…a terrorist organization.” He made the comment during a hearing with Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca.

Although Cravaack has neglected to develop any legislative achievements, he has nurtured a reputation as one of several vocal Muslim bashers in Congress. A new profile of the congressman by Jeremy Herb in the Star Tribune notes that Cravaack keeps “Sharia: The Threat to America,” a report published by anti-Muslim hate activist Frank Gaffney, on his office desk:

One of Cravaack’s biggest moments in the D.C. spotlight occurred when he accused the Los Angeles County sheriff of “dealing with a terrorist organization” for his work with the Council on Islamic-American Relations. Cravaack’s comments led to a Washington Post columnist writing that the ghost of Joe McCarthy “found a host” in Cravaack. [...] From his statements on CAIR and Cirrus to his warnings about the danger of foreign-owned debt, Cravaack has developed a pointed interest in guarding against foreign threats. He has two books about Islam and terrorism at his desk: “Sharia: The Threat to America” and “The Terrorist Next Door.”

Gaffney, the head of a group called Center for Security Policy, has made a name for himself spreading insane conspiracy theories about Muslims. When he is not arguing that President Obama is a secret agent of the Muslim Brotherhood or claiming that radical Muslims have infiltrated the top levels of American government, he is calling for people who practice Islam to be prosecuted under sedition laws. While Gaffney’s views may seem absurd, he is incredibly influential. He regularly appears on Fox News, major conservative conferences, and his writing is referenced in the manifesto by the alleged Norwegian terrorist Anders Behring Breivik. Moreover, Gaffney was a pivotal figure in organizing the hysterical protests against a planned Muslim American community center in lower Manhattan.

When Cravaak made his disparaging remarks to CAIR, he justified himself by claiming, “I did my homework.” Apparently he was referring to folks like Gaffney.

Norway continues to mourn the scores of victims from a terror attack allegedly committed by an anti-Muslim far-right extremist named Anders Breivik. Yet just days after the attack, major right-wing papers have published op-eds and editorials that are claiming that while this extremist was wrong to committ violence, his cause was just.

First, the Wall Street Journal published an op-ed today by Bruce Bawer, an American expatriate author living in Europe. He argued that while Breivik’s terrorism was wrong, the real tragedy is that the attacks have dealt a “heavy blow” to the “urgent cause” of highlighting the alleged threat Muslims pose to Europe:

During the hours when I thought that Oslo had been attacked by jihadists, I wept for the city that has been my home for many years. And I hoped Norwegian leaders would respond to this act of violence by taking a more responsible approach to the problems they face in connection with Islam. When it emerged that these acts of terror were the work of a native Norwegian who thought he was striking a blow against jihadism and its enablers, it was immediately clear to me that his violence will deal a heavy blow to an urgent cause. [...]

In Norway, to speak negatively about any aspect of the Muslim faith has always been a touchy matter, inviting charges of “Islamophobia” and racism. It will, I fear, be a great deal more difficult to broach these issues now that this murderous madman has become the poster boy for the criticism of Islam.

And yesterday, the Jerusalem Post published an editorial also condemning the attacks but warning that they should also be viewed as an “opportunity” to reform Norway’s immigration laws and that Breivik was right about the failure of multiculturalism:

Perhaps Brievik’s inexcusable act of vicious terror should serve not only as a warning that there may be more elements on the extreme Right willing to use violence to further their goals, but also as an opportunity to seriously reevaluate policies for immigrant integration in Norway and elsewhere. While there is absolutely no justification for the sort of heinous act perpetrated this weekend in Norway, discontent with multiculturalism’s failure must not be delegitimatized or mistakenly portrayed as an opinion held by only the most extremist elements of the Right.

It appears that the Wall Street Journal and Jerusalem Post are endorsing the idea that while the Norwegian terrorist should not have resorted to violence, his anti-Islam message was noble and should not be ignored simply because of its messenger.

Inspired by climate denial pundits, right-wing Norwegian terrorist Anders Breivik railed against global warming “enviro-communism” in his manifesto. Breivik — who confessed to killing 93 people in two attacks in Norway — published on the web a 1,500-page manifesto describing his Christian conservative conspiracy theories. In one section, “Green is the new Red – Stop Enviro-Communism!” Breivik argues that global warming is actually a eco-Marxist plot “to create a world government” using the “Anthropogenic Global Warming scam”:

You might know them as environmentalists, enviro-communists, eco-Marxists, neo-Communists or eco-fanatics. They all claim they want to save the world from global warming but their true agenda is to contribute to create a world government lead by the UN or in other ways increase the transfer of resources (redistribute resources) from the developed Western world to the third world. They hope to accomplish this through the distribution of misinformation (propaganda) which they hope will lead to increased taxation of already excessively taxed Europeans and US citizens.

Although Breivik’s conspiracy theories are insane, they are in line with mainstream opinion among American conservatives. He cites Christopher Monckton’s speech before the Minnesota Free Market Institute in 2009, accusing President Obama of trying to cede United States sovereignty to the United Nations through climate treaties. Monckton — a rabid conspiracy theorist who claims his opponents are Nazis — was a Republican witness before Congress on global warming in 2010.

Breivik also believed that the “Climategate” hacking incident “revealed how top scientists conspired to falsify data in the face of declining global temperatures in order to prop up the premise that man-made factors are driving climate change.”

One of his sources for this delusional claim is right-wing climate conspiracy theorist James Delingpole, who regularly appears on Fox News, including Glenn Beck‘s now defunct show. The Norwegian terrorist also cited climate conspiracy blogger Steve McIntyre, who appeared in a one-hour Fox News special on global warming in 2009. McIntyre’s conspiracy theories have been promoted by Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK). Dozens of Republican members of Congress have endorsed the Climategate conspiracy theory.

In reality, science is not partisan. It is a fact that the burning of hundreds of billions of tons of coal and oil is dangerously warming the planet. The torrent of propaganda spewed by conservative outlets and politicians to fight action is toxic and irresponsible.

Manifesto excerpt: Read more

Over the past few days, it has come to light that the man presumed to be responsible for the terror attacks in Norway, Anders Breivik, held deeply anti-Muslim views and was motivated at least in part by a hatred of foreigners and multiculturalism. There is also evidence that he was a fan of far-right bloggers and political parties.

Despite these revelations of right-wing terrorism, Rep. Peter King (R-NY) — who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee — has announced that he will continue his series of investigations focusing exclusively on Islamic terrorism and will not widen them to include other forms of terror:

Despite the Norway killings, Representative Peter T. King, the New York Republican who is chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said he had no plans to broaden contentious hearings about the radicalization of Muslim Americans and would hold the third one as planned on Wednesday. He said his committee focused on terrorist threats with foreign ties and suggested that the Judiciary Committee might be more appropriate for looking at non-Muslim threats.

As ThinkProgress noted at the time of his first hearing examining exclusively the radicalization in Muslim communities, there have been almost twice as many terror plots from non-Muslims than Muslims in the United States since 9/11. And in Europe, where the Norway attack happened, terror attacks by Muslims also made up only a minority of the terrorism on the continent. In fact, in 2009, only one in 294 terror attacks came from Muslims.

Democrats had urged Peter King to expand the scope of his hearings, writing in a March 2011 letter, “If you wish to examine violent extremism, we ask that you do so by examining violence motivated by extremist beliefs in all its forms.” It appears that King seems to be more infatuated with singling out Muslims than actually addressing real threats.