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Boko Haram – the rise of terror in Nigeria
Boko Haram is a northeast Nigeria-based Islamist militant group. In recent years, the group has become well-entrenched in Nigeria and currently, thousands of fanatic militants are fighting under the flag of Boko Haram. The terror organization has gained prominence in recent years and killed thousands of innocent people. Recently more than 2,000 people in Baga and surrounding villages were mercilessly done to death by the jihadi group.
Meaning of Boko Haram
Jama‘atu Ahli is-Sunnah lid-Da‘wati wal-Jihad is the official name of Boko Haram. This in English means “People Committed to the Prophet’s Teachings for Propagation and Jihad.” While Haram in the Arabic means ‘forbidden,’ Boko in the Hausa language stands for ‘fake’ – a possible corruption of the word ‘book’ in English. Thus, the term Boko Haram broadly implies “Western education is forbidden”. The group is strongly against the westernization of education in Nigeria.
The ideology of Boko Haram
Members of Boko Haram are substantial followers of Islam and advocate the strict imposition of its version of the Sharia form of law. In August 2014, the group established an Islamic Caliphate in Gwoza, along the Cameroon border. Since then, it has been raiding more lands in the northern as well as a central parts of Nigeria to enlarge its sphere of influence. In the name of religion, the group has killed thousands of innocent people.
Boko Haram believes westernization is corrupting the minds of young Nigerian men and women. It advocates the imposition of Islamic principles and way of life and believes that people who indulge in non-Islamic activities should be severely dealt with.
History
Boko Haram has been present for over a decade. The terror group was founded in 2002 in Maiduguri by Mohammed Yusuf, a cleric. The group’s activities in its initial years were relatively peaceful. However, there were warning signs that it was becoming more militant, but the Nigerian authorities ignored these. Yusuf started a school in Nigeria, expounding the jihadist philosophy. It mainly attracted students from poor families and was focused on creating jihadis for achieving its aim of establishing an Islamic State.
In 2009 Yusuf, along with many Boko Haram members, was killed by the security forces of Nigeria. Following this, the group went into a period of hibernation for nearly a year but resurfaced in 2010 with a more militant and deadly posture under the leadership of Abubakar Shekau. From 2010 onwards, the group launched several deadly attacks on the Nigerian government and people as well as international installations. Many of these attacks have made headlines worldwide.
Boko Haram symbols
The deadly terror organization uses many symbols in its propaganda materials, flags as well as printed materials. These range from guns to messages of the Holy Quran.
Two Kalashnikov AK-47 automatic rifles, which are crossed, indicate the fact that the group is undertaking an armed struggle to establish the Islamic State and will not refrain from using violence in achieving its goal. The open Quran symbolizes Islamic proselytizing.
Another prominent symbol is the Islamic declaration of faith, the shahada. The declaration reads “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah”.
The group is a strong supporter of the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (also known as the Islamic State) and has recently started using its flags as one of its symbols.
Funding of Boko Haram
Boko Haram has been operational for over 12 years and today has a large number of men and equipment at its disposal. This highlights the fact that the group has strong finances. The group resorts to a number of way to fund its activities. These include getting donations from local as well as foreign sympathizers, trafficking cocaine and other forms of drugs, poaching of wild animals that have large monetary value such as elephants and rhinos. It also kidnaps tourists and demands huge sums of money in exchange for their return. Other than that it is involved in bank robberies and extortion tactics.
