What is the ideology of Boko Haram?
Boko Haram, formally named Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati Wal-Jihad, follows an extreme interpretation of Islam which is anti-Western, promotes sectarian violence and targets as infidels and apostates those who do not agree with this interpretation.
What is Boko Haram’s motive?
Boko Haram opposes the Westernization of Nigerian society, which it blames for “Nigeria’s culture of corruption”, and demands the establishment of an Islamic state in Nigeria. It developed into a jihadist group in 2009.
Is Boko Haram religious?
Against this background, charismatic Muslim cleric Mohammed Yusuf formed Boko Haram in Maiduguri in 2002. He set up a religious complex, which included a mosque and an Islamic school. Many poor Muslim families from across Nigeria, as well as neighbouring countries, enrolled their children at the school.
What is the meaning of Boko?
Boko means “inauthentic” or “fake”, says Mohammed Kabir of the BBC’s Hausa Service. It does not literally mean education. The word’s evolution is bound up with colonialism. In 1903 the Sokoto caliphate, which ruled parts of what is now northern Nigeria, Niger and southern Cameroon, fell under British control.
Why did Boko Haram kidnap the schoolgirls?
Boko Haram and its affiliates now see the act of kidnapping schoolchildren as an effective way to raise money for their broad operations across northern Nigeria, due to gains in widespread media coverage and the way it puts federal and state governments under pressure to secure the release of the victims at any cost.
Is Abubakar Shekau dead?
Deceased
Abubakar Shekau/Living or Deceased
Who started jihad?
Many other prominent figures in global jihad started with militancy in the Muslim Brotherhood—Abdullah Azzam, Osama bin Laden’s mentor, started in the Muslim Brotherhood of Jordan; Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden’s deputy, joined the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood at the age of 14; and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who planned the …
What do the words Boko Haram literally mean?
Western education is forbidden
Loosely translated from the local Hausa language, this means Western education is forbidden. The term “Boko Haram” comes from the Hausa word ‘boko’ meaning “Animist, western or otherwise non-Islamic education” and the Arabic word ‘haram’ figuratively meaning “sin” (literally, “forbidden”).
Who are Boko Haram targeting?
Boko Haram’s capability increased in 2014, with the group conducting near-daily attacks against Christians, security and police forces, the media, schools, politicians, and Muslims perceived as collaborators.
What is Boko Haram kidnapping?
Boko Haram first carried out mass school kidnappings in Nigeria, as did its later offshoot Islamic State West Africa Province, but now the tactic has been adopted by criminal gangs snatching schoolchildren for ransom.