Boko Haram Case Study

Boko Haram: Nigeria’s Second Wave of Islamic Extremism
By: Drew Hardin Boko Haram are a radical extremist group formed in northeastern Nigeria. They are Sunni Muslim terrorist organization that has been in existence since 2000, but become an important topic in July of 2009. They follow Ultra-Salafist ideology which is an ultra-conservative form of Islam. Boko Haram have two main goals, institute Sharia law in Nigeria and/or create their own caliphate and establish a strict code of Sharia law according to their interpretation of the Quran. Their movement is similar to that of Maitatsine riots of the 1980s led by Mohammed Marwa. Boko Haram’s main principle is the prohibition of Western culture and technology. Now what has allowed them to form and grow was what was one of the main questions of this analytical essay, and the other question was how can Boko Haram be stopped. What allowed Boko Haram to form was a combination of factors including political corruption and inaction, economic problems, and social issues within Nigeria. Nigeria’s political system
The issues within Nigeria that allowed for Boko Haram to form are deep-seeded issues, and require time to be fixed. The goal is to eliminate radical extremist groups and ideology in Nigeria. The first, and most important solution is investing in education all across Nigeria to expose children to new points of view making them less likely to be easily radicalized by a terrorist group. The economy needs to work on promoting economic growth in the Northern part of Nigeria to allow for less dissent among the Nigerian population. The political system needs to be cleaned up through anti-fraud and corruption legislation. Military force does need to be used, but it’s definitely not the only step that needs to be taken to end radical groups from forming in Nigeria. These solutions look to the future and could take generations before people see the beneficial