Boko Haram
On 14 April 2014 a bomb exploded in a crowded bus station in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria. 75 people were reported dead, while 178 were reported to be injured (Al Jazeera, 2014). These people were the most recent victims of the Islamic terrorist sect known as Boko Haram. Activity from Boko Haram has been increasing in recent years, generating fear among Nigerians. The successes of Boko Haram’s attacks combined with the Nigerian government’s inability to effectively control the group create the potential for Boko Haram to cause significant dilemmas in Nigeria and Africa.
The exact year of Boko Haram’s origin have been debated. Onuoha notes that the group’s original beginnings come from a 1995 group led by Abubakah Lawan, known as “Ahlulsunna wal’jama’ah hijra” (Onuoha, 2010). It seems that most scholars and researchers, however, credit the founding of the current Boko Haram to Mohammed Yusuf in 2002(Adibe, 2014). It is clear that under the leadership of Yusuf, the group made significant gains and expansions. Yusuf was responsible for moving Boko Haram toward the mindset that Western education and civilization are sinful, which is the rough translation of “Boko Haram” (Salaam, 2014). After the death of Yusuf one of his deputies, Abu Muhammed Abubakar bin Muhammad Shekau, became the current leader of Boko Haram (Onuoha, 2010).
Boko Haram’s main objective is to overthrow the Nigerian government, and implement Sharia Law in all states of Nigeria. They believe the government is full of corrupt and sinful individuals, who fail to live by the words of the Quran. Shria law is a set of Islamic laws that come from the Quran. The regulations and laws within Sharia are very strict, and include severe punishments like stoning...
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...Boko Haram crisis explained . African Security Review , , 54-67.
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What internally drives a terrorist’s motivation varies from subject to subject. While the average American citizen would likely be quick to point terrorists hate the western way of life and what it represents, the issue is far more complex. Simon Cottee’s article “What Motivates Terrorists?” (2015), looks at various levels of motivation. Prior definitions of terrorism looked at the defining cause as possibly psychological abnormalities within in the individual (Cottee, 2015). As studies have evolved, the focus has shifted to the environment in which the terrorist is surrounded. While certainly there is cases in which a person who is mentally unstable could be an ideal target for terrorist propaganda, the number of cases involving mental
In Brym’s article he discusses what research has shown about the motivations of suicide bombers. Brym and my fellow classmate explained to me how suicide bombers may be motivated by politics, religion, or retaliatory aims (Brym, Kyra Howard). Both Brym and Howard helped me view the issue of suicide bombers in multiple
For approximately the past three decades, a terrorist group has come to plague the world with its activities (Gunaratna, 2002). This group is known as Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda, when translated means “The Base”. It is a terrorist organization that seeks to remove western influence from the Middle East and spread its radical Islamic views. Al Qaeda’s most prominent leader was Osama bin Laden, until his death during a raid upon his compound in Pakistan. The Al Qaeda’s motivation stems primarily from extreme and deeply rooted religious beliefs. Their most used method of attack is through suicide bombers and improvised explosive devices. This organization has also used chemical warfare and at this time is believed to still actively seek to utilize chemical and biological agents as means to battle.
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18 Jan. 2005. 20 Feb. 2005 . “Types of Terrorism.” Council of Foreign Relations. 2004.
...at shocked me through all these articles is how there weren’t a single positive story about Nigeria. I had to get to the third page before I found something that was “kind of positive” about Nigeria. These definitely illustrate what the speaker was saying about single stories. Also 8 out of 10 stories where related to Boko haram. Therefore it won’t be a surprise for me to hear that people believe that Boko haram is the daily cup of tea. I didn’t really found anything that was directly related to the chapter because most of the stories were about BOKO haram crisis. The only thing that I found related to the chapter was how the Biafra war that has opposed the three major’s ethnics groups: Yoruba, Igbo and Hausas is still reflecting on the actual Nigerian crisis. In the north were these crisis are occurring, only certain ethnic groups or religious groups are attacked.
The threat of global terrorism continues to rise with the total number of deaths reaching 32,685 in 2015, which is an 80 percent increase from 2014 (Global Index). With this said, terrorism remains a growing, and violent phenomenon that has dominated global debates. However, ‘terrorism’ remains a highly contested term; there is no global agreement on exactly what constitutes a terror act. An even more contested concept is whether to broaden the scope of terrorism to include non-state and state actors.
Extremism manifests itself dangerously in the Islam religion (Palmer, Monte, and Princess Palmer, 37). The Muslim religion has some laws and believes that no one should question their design, origin or application. Good people should punish immoral people in Islam religion without showing mercy to them. In Islam, human beings have no right to offer forgiveness to others that can easily lead to and create peace to oneself in the society. The unforgiving nature makes human rights groups in many ways try to change and support governments that try to overthrow Muslim extremist governments. Such an approach creates a war never ending between the Muslim governments and other governments that fight the extremist ideals. In East Africa, Somalia presents a case example by observing how the Government is not able to control the ever fighting and dreadful Al-Shabaab. The “Al-Shabaab” is an Arab name for Muslim youth who over the years try to use enforce extremist rulers in governing the country and hence controlling the resources. Muslim fighters and rebels arm themselves with arsenals they use to fight groups that oppose them by killing and torturing them. The al-Shabaab launches attacks that kill people and openly claim responsibility for the losses and the deaths they cause. They also punish members who commit sin using the retrogressive laws of the Quran on the people they label sinners. Other extremist
Transformation, and Change of the Lost-Found Nation of Islam in America, 1930-1995 Maryland: Scarecrow Press, Inc.,
Political and legal considerations were given first priority in this analysis with primary emphasis given to whether a country's legal or political system prohibits or impedes foreign investment. If a country's political or legal system discouraged or prevented foreign investment, that country was disqualified from further consideration. Factors considered when assessing the political and legal environment:
"We know that dictators are quick to choose aggression, while free nations strive to resolve differences in peace. We know that oppressive goverments support terror, while free governments fight the terrorists in their midst. We know that free peoples embrace progress and life, instead of becoming the recruits for murderous ideologies." George W. Bush, (Speech to UN General Assembly, September 21, 2004) Al Shabaab, an armed group is waging a brutal war aimed at toppling Somalia's government and imposing Islamic law. Since its inception in 2006 the terrorist group has been indicative of a violent powerful movement. Somalia's operation is mainly centered in the southern and central regions. The group is fighting an insurgency against the Somali Federal Government, African Union Mission and their allies. Therefore, this paper is designed to take a look into the terrorist organization al Shabaab.
The origins of al Qaeda date back to August of 1988, when the organization is formed at a meeting where three crucial people to the further development of al Qaeda are present (Wander, 2008). Ayman al-Zawahiri was a lieutenant to Osama bin Laden and considered to be the brains behind the organization. He was a lifetime member of the Egyptian Islamist Jihad, until he decided to merge it into Al Qaeda in 1998. He was a member of Bin Laden’s shura council, which is believed to consist of 20-30 senior members that served as advisors to Bin Laden. The second individual present was ...
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