I was not in Rosenkrantz ‘street until Friday night. But I was in Oslo on July 22 and have been to many other crime scenes in Europe. The pattern is almost always the same in the hours and days afterwards. «When the dust has settled», well described in the Danish series about an attack in Copenhagen.

This time it is in Oslo, and unfortunately no fiction. Again. More shock, more grief, more suffering. But also a unique solidarity. The shots did not only hit customers at the London Pub and the neighborhood. They affected you, me and the whole of Norway.

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Although the perpetrator’s motives are not known at the time of writing, he has already achieved “putting pressure on the country’s authorities or the population or society in general”, as it is called in the Norwegian definition of terrorism.

Was threatened

For some of Oslo’s queer, it may not have come as a huge surprise. Homophobia is becoming more and more prevalent. The worst outbreak was also a terrorist attack, against the nightclub Pulse in Orlando in 2016. 49 were killed. A massacre.

For years later, a planned attack was averted outside Paris. To IS sympathizers were arrested with very concrete plans.

Gay couples are being subjected to more and more brutal violence in a number of European countries. In nine countries of the world it is the death penalty for gays and in 70 other different punishments. So far, queers in Norway have been able to feel fairly safe. Many will unfortunately lose the good feeling now. Not only in Norway, because such an attack can give others the same violent idea.

Heroes

Others get heroic ideas of terror, often without thinking about it. Some threw themselves at the perpetrator in Oslo, just like the three American soldiers on the Thalys train in 2015. Others provided emergency assistance, others again made sure that customers came in and locked doors, while the security guard at Bataclan opened the emergency exits.

And many thousands defied the orders of the police and took to the streets to show their disgust and solidarity. In Paris, after the attack by Charlie Hebdo, it was 4 million attended.

Also read: My first instinct when I heard about the shooting was to go on the pride train

Why

Then comes the inevitable question: why?

All terrorism wants an answer to that. In Oslo, the motive is not yet known, but according to PST, the perpetrator has been part of an active Islamist environment. For Islamists, homosexuality is the most conceivable, especially when it comes to men. Among other things, they risk being stoned. IS could sometimes throw them down mountain slopes in Iraq and Syria. Gay women could also be convicted, but never killed.

These are Nettavisen’s columnists

Condemns

Therefore, it is positive that most Muslim communities in Norway condemn the attack on Saturday. They should also change their view of homosexuality. Akhtar Chaudry writes, among other things:

“Muslims who have chosen to settle in Europe must take a seven-mile step and synchronize with the rest of society in this field. We can not be about reflection time or «waiting time».

Others might need to open their eyes and not be so preoccupied with touch anxiety.

Also read: Muslims are not responsible for the outrage, but we must take responsibility for the community

According to the IEP, IS is still the group that commits most terrorist attacks in the world, but now most in Africa.

Men NB! This does not mean losing all Muslims. Terrorist attacks can have other causes than religion. Yes, it can be psychiatry. It can also be political, and the perpetrators are more or less radicalized.

The effects, “when the dust has settled” are the same. And can, as mentioned, for a long time. The July 22 victims know all about it, just as they were offended after November 13, 2015 in Paris. The verdict in the trial will fall in two days. Six and a half years later.