I have a short piece on Anders Breivik’s manifesto in today’s The Independent. For some strange reason, the opinion editor changed the title from “The Jihadist Anders Breivik” to the “Breivik’s manifesto for martyrdom in a holy war”. Anyway, here it is:

The Jihadist Anders Breivik

Anders Breivik, who last week killed 76 people in two terrorist attacks in Norway, claims to be defending the western world against islamisation. That is paradoxical, for in his manifesto – a 1,500-page work in which he explains his actions – one finds ideas that are everything but Western.

In the manifesto, titled “2083 – A European Declaration of Independence”, Mr Breivik argues for the establishment of a strict, patriarchal society. Men shall dominate, women shall submit – and when women leave the house, they should dress decently. Breivik wants divorce to be harder to obtain, and abortion and homosexuality banned. Schoolchildren should be taught in gender-segregated classes.

Breivik seeks to tear down the divide between religion and politics. Politics, he proclaims, should be dictated by a strict interpretation of a certain Semitic religion. Schools should indoctrinate their students in this religion, freedom of speech should be brought to an end, and the media should be censored.

Breivik wants to create this society – the ideal society, in his view – through the use of violence, and has in a fatwa-like manner sentenced millions of people to death. He regards himself as a martyr who will force the world to submit, and is convinced he will be rewarded after death for having slaughtered civilians in a holy war.

Why, then, didn’t Mr Breivik move to Iran?