ANOTHER “FAR-RIGHT GUNMAN:” French Spree Shooter is a Muslim Named Mohammed Who Fought With the Taliban in Afghanistan. Other Than That He Fits The Media’s ‘Far-Right’ Profile Perfectly. “Large sections of the media got this one spectacularly wrong, but don’t expect them to acknowledge that fact. Instead, look for them to move move seamlessly from the ‘far-right extremist’ theme to asking what could have provoked Merah . . . . When Westerners kill, it’s the West’s fault. And when Muslims kill, it’s the West’s fault. It’s Liberal Journalism 101.”

UPDATE: Rand Simberg emails: “Given the popularity of Mein Kampf in the Middle East, couldn’t the Islamists be said to be neo-Nazis? They certainly have taken up the project where Hitler left off with gusto, much more than the folks who march around with swastikas.”

ANOTHER UPDATE: Reader Jeffrey Turner writes:

The reflex to blame “far right” elements rather than Islamists for atrocities like the shootings in France is indeed a little creepy. It’s worth noting, though, the deep and long-standing ties between Islamists and the Nazis, going back to before WWII, so the idea of a link between Neonazis and Islamists is not that far-fetched: they both want to finish what Hitler started. I suspect the rush to blame “far right” elements in France has the same roots as the reflex that blamed Sarah Palin for Gabriel Giffords being shot: it’s a denial mechanism to help the accusers avoid having to confront their own shameful past associations, the Vichy regime in the case of the French, and the Stalinists in the case of the American left.

Indeed.