CODE NAME: Mountaineer
FACT FINDINGS ABOUT JAMA’ATU AHLISUNNAH LIDDA’AWATI
WAL-JIHAD (COMMONLY KNOWN AS BOKO HARAM)[i][/i]
The Jama’atu Ahlisunnah Lidda’awati Wal-Jihad, Islamic sect (commonly known
as Boko Haram), the Islamic sect have been fighting the government of Nigeria
approximately since 2002 when they presented a proposal to the national assembly
for the creation of Islamic state, which the national assembly decline, that was the
origin of their grieve.
Meanwhile, the Islamic sect was in the country the country unnoticed , their grieve
also aggravated by the killing of their leader Ustaz Mohammed Yusuf as he was
fondly called.
The sect believe that the democratic system of government breeds corruption and
immorality thus the idea of Islamic state generated. In their proposal, they said that
if the entire country will not embrace the Islamic system, the national assembly
should create the state within the Northern part of the country, which was their
initial intention. The refusal of the national assembly brough total unrest in the
Northern part of the country, which resulted in several bombings including the the
unfortunate bombing of the Force headquarters in Abuja which is just a shouting
distance from the Presidential Villa (Aso Rock). Another aspect of this sect is that
they can do anything in this country without the knowledge of any one, not even
the security agencies can vividly say anything about the operation of this sect.
The sect also made it clear in one of their letter to the Governor of Kano state Dr.
Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the Emir of Kano Ado Bayero and Eld. Statesman
Maitama Sule; that the Nigerian government is a KUFUR system (KUFUR in
Islam means a person or group of persons who have no religion or anybody who is
worshiping idol.) serving both United Nation (UN) and Christian Association of
Nigeria (CAN).
This statement should be taken into consideration. The sect are gradually taking
their anger to CAN and if UN, which can be detrimental for this Nation if the
situation remain un-addressed.
The security threat in Northern part of the country especially Borno, Bauchi have
constituted fear among the neighbouring state which resulted to incessant
migration of people and goods from the affected part to unaffected part.
Take in to consideration that, in their letter thy mention that these same security
agents made Maiduguri which is known as Home of peace before to what it is
today because they know is not their home town.
Believe it they are spreading fast recruiting new men, women and children into the
sect, they are not like government who demand for age range, qualifications,
medical fitness before recruiting new members.
Note that they are pure religious men, women, children that cannot be capture in
beer parlour, in hotel, brothels, motel social gatherings like other criminals they
can only be found only in………
The sect cannot be seen, caught or arrested because of the mode of their
operations.
Their training is done in memorial park, and other isolated ground they are been
train by professionals, even the are imported in pieces and assemble in this
country.
The first terrorist attack as tagged by the United States of America involving a
Nigeria citizen Adulmutallab was the first terrorist attack in this country. He was
trained by Yemeni’s terrorist network called……. Which are responsible for the
security threat in Northern part of Nigeria today. The first time they gave him the
assignment, they never believe he will accomplished it but the mission failed,
nevertheless they adored him. Now that they know a Nigerian can do such a thing
a rich one at that, then the poor can do anything if offer a little dollar. The teaching
is another aspect that most Muslim cannot do away with it, is to hate everyone that
is non-Muslim believing they are enemies of Prophet Mohammed. They are out for
real, they are regenerating, they are re-enforcing, and they are re-grouping.
This brought us to the security situation of other part of the north including
Plateau, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Benue and the FCT.
The security situation of Nasarawa state is worrisome which is as a result of the
threat in far North of the country especially Borno state which resulted to influx of
people to the state especially at night loaded in open roof vans, pickups, J5s mainly
Muslims.
Ironically, the streets are taken by these people; the motorcycle riders commonly
called “GOING” in the state. They have trade that they can be easily acquainted to
such as Shoe Shiner, Fruit Vendor, Mobile Tailor, and Plate Repairer.
This “going” men some of them are totally strangers to the town, if you board any
one of them they will either ask you to show them the navigation route or increase
the fare, if you argue, it will result to something unspeakable, meanwhile most of
them travel with knives, small daggers, small machetes in their body, which I have
experience during the course of investigation.
The group behind the latest violence in northern Nigeria is known by several
different names, including al-Sunnah wal Jamma, or Followers of Muhammad's
Teachings in Arabic, and Boko Haram, which means "Western education is
forbidden" in the local Hausa dialect.
Their existence
The group was founded in 2002 in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, allegedly
by Mohammed Yusuf, a religious teacher.
In 2004, it moved to Kanamma in Yobe state, close to the border with Niger,
where it set up a base dubbed "Afghanistan", from which it attacked nearby police
outposts.
'Long war'
Boko Haram, which includes members who come from neighbouring Chad, is said
to not only oppose Western education, but
Western culture as well.
Abdulmuni Ibrahim Mohammed, a senior
member of the group arrested on Monday,
told the Reuters news agency that "we do not
believe in Western education. It corrupts our
ideas and beliefs".
"That is why we are standing up to defend our
religion".
Yusuf has reportedly said that the war will "continue for long".
The latest clashes began in Dutsen Tenshin, a neighbourhood of the city of Bauchi,
capital of the state of the same name.
Bauchi is one of 12 states in northern Nigeria where sharia, or Islamic law, is
practiced.
The latest fighting has left scores of people dead
Sectarian clashes between Muslims and Christians in Bauchi state in February left
at least five people dead.
Muslims attacked Christians and set fire to churches in retaliation for the burning
of two mosques, which had been blamed on Christians.
The group's alleged leader has reportedly said that the war will 'continue for long'
Last November, more than 700 were killed in Jos, capital of Plateau state, when
a political feud over a local election degenerated into bloody confrontation
between Muslims and Christians.
Government blamed
Salisu Mohammed, a conflict management specialist, told Al Jazeera that Nigerian
authorities should have acted sooner to stop the proliferation of Boko Haram.
"Many people have known of the existence of this group, silently and within the
community, especially in the last year," he said.
"They are becoming more extreme because in the past there wasn't a major push in
place to check their proliferation.
"They are taking advantage of a broken-down structural condition in Nigeria that
people can take the law into their hands without getting reprimanded."
Analysts have also said that at the heart of this week's violence is dire poverty and
political manoeuvring - not religion.
They believe attacks were committed mainly by frustrated, unemployed youths and
orchestrated by religious leaders and politicians who manipulate them to retain
power.
Mohammed Yusuf, the group's leader, was killed in the aftermath of clashes
between Boko Haram and Nigerian police in August 2009.
The police said that he was killed while trying to escape from custody, but his
body was found in the street, still handcuffed, raising concerns that he had been the
victim of an extrajudicial killing.
Boko Haram – The Negotiations After
COMPARISONS between Boko Haram and the militants in the Niger Delta, as the
explanation for the proposed talks between government and the group in
Maiduguri are inevitable, though many would refuse to see the connection.
Both groups rose against the state. Both refuse submission to the laws of the
country. Governments sent security forces after them, only to realise that the issues
were political and could benefit more from negotiations than only force.
How it would work with Boko Haram is a major challenge. With the Niger Delta,
government was the one giving the conditions, the major one being a deadline for
militants to disarm, after which they would be re-habilitated. Those who refused to
turn in their arms were deemed to have rejected the amnesty.
The economic interest that was the fulcrum of the Niger Delta amnesty is
completely absent in Maiduguri and Bauchi where Boko Haram has made its
bases. Outside a desire to have peace in those parts of the country, government’s
interests is not deep enough, a point we made in the days of the fights in the Niger
Delta.
Dangers abound in the way we tackle these challenges. The absence of strategic
thinking in handling security matters means that when they arise we would
approach them in ad hoc ways. Boko Haram is another example of how unprepared
we are for challenges. Can we change? When will we change?
Boko Haram is clear in its demands. It wants an Islamic state, ejection of the
current elected Borno State government, Islamic law and forbids association with
western education. How would government negotiate with a group that has
fundamental differences that are constitutional as well as religious? On the surface,
it is impossible.
Leaders of the North have wavered over Boko Haram, seeing the security efforts in
the areas as attacks on the region rather than a containment of the threats to the
country from a critical zone that has boundaries with two unstable countries Chad
and Niger.
Threats have not worked. The activities of security forces in the area have suffered
from poor public relations. Boko Haram was ahead on criticising the activities of
the security agencies. We saw a bit of that in the Niger Delta, where government
was so insensitive, its eyes only on securing the oil wells, that it ignored any
suggestions of brutality against the people.
Negotiation must be the only way left. Boko Haram operates from a podium of
righteousness, not just a just cause. Its religious inclination is a cause that defies
material appeasement. Religion is not always about logic. When you contest
peoples’ religious positions, they see you as an unbeliever, one doomed for eternity
and the case is made not to talk with unbelievers who will not understand the
issues of belief.
Will the negotiations include abolition of education in Bauchi and Borno, which
already have low rankings in this area? Will the sect be allowed to continue the
religious purification of Northern Nigeria under the guise of a better brand of
Islam? The issues will be touchy wherever they go.
Precedents are important, more important than we assume. If there were no
amnesty in Niger Delta, with all the compromises, Boko Haram would have been
handled differently, like Maitatsine, as we earlier suggested.
These precedents would continue to count against us. One day, we may see our
governments negotiating with armed robbers, murderers, arsonists, and other bands
of criminals, whose stake to lawlessness would be that we have governments that
cannot maintain law and order and easily find enough justifications for their
weakness.
Boko Haram Robbed Bank To Finance Their Activities
Some armed men, suspected to be members of the Boko Haram yesterday attacked
a police station and a branch of Bank PHB Plc in Kankara local government area
of Katsina State, killing six policemen and two civilians.
An eyewitness informed LEADERSHIP that the Boko Haram members first
attacked a police station before proceeding to the bank. He added that the group
detonated some explosives which damaged both the building of the police station
and the bank. According to the eyewitness, three of the policemen including a DPO
were killed at the police station while the remaining three were killed at the bank.
They allegedly carted away millions of naira. Two bank officials were said to have
been killed accidentally, just as the perpetrators were said to have distributed some
of the money they looted from the bank to people.
They reportedly fled the scene of the incident in two vehicles.
A resident of the area, Ibrahim Sulaiman, also told our correspondent that the sect
members used one of the vehicles of the bank customers to escape from the scene,
adding that the members later abandoned the vehicle near Yankumaki town.
Ibrahim further stated that policemen diverted traffic from the area after the
incident, saying that police officers were now at the two places and dispersed
onlookers from converging on the police station and the bank.
But the police denied the claim that the attack was perpetrated by Boko Haram.
In a telephone interview with LEADERSHIP, the force PRO, Olushola Amore, a
deputy commissioner of police, said the signals the force received from Katsina
showed that it was purely a robbery incident.
He said: “The signals we received showed that the attacks were carried out by
armed robbers and not by Boko Haram members. The robbers attacked the police
station, which was very near to the bank, in order to have free access to the bank.
“The robbers also carted away undisclosed sum of money. To the best of my
knowledge, the attack was not from Boko Haram but from armed robbers.
“We are also not aware of the claim that some of the money looted from the bank
were being shared to the people by the perpetrators of the attack.”
The Boko Haram sect yesterday issued a fresh threat of attack in some northern
states with Kaduna, Plateau, Taraba and Benue marked as prime targets.
A statement from the website of the group said the terrorists were now ready for
the Nigerian state after the training of their commandos in Somalia. In an e-mail
sent to media houses by Yusuf Mohammed from the website
www.yusufislamicbrothers..com, the sect stated that the alert was to warn
civilians to avoid public places especially military formations. “This alert is meant
to notify civilians to avoid military formations, especially the police.
We are stepping up our attacks in the coming weeks in all northern states. The
failed assassination attempt on the IG of police will not deter us as we are going to
attack the entire northern parts of the country, including Abuja.
“Avoid crowded places and gatherings. We are ready for the Nigerian state, after
the training of our commandos in Somalia. Northern states such as Plateau,
Kaduna, Taraba, Benue should watch out for us especially Kaduna State.”
The group said that what the country lawmakers were taking as allowances was
unacceptable. “We wish to warn the RMAFC chairman, Mr. Elias Mbam, of his
plan to increase the salaries and allowances of Nigeria’s thieving legislators.
“We have been monitoring his statements over the past days and it seems he is bent
on his devilish agenda, when millions of Nigerians wallow in abject poverty and
deprivation and state governments cannot even pay the N18, 000 minimum
salaries. We would be forced to place a fatwa on the chairman of RMAFC, Elias
Mbam, the commission responsible for setting allowances and salaries for public
servants, if he does not review downwards the salaries and allowances of these
thieving lawmakers with immediate effect,” the email added.
The sect also alleged that the pay of 469 federal lawmakers gulped N339bn in four
years while the actual salary (on pay slip) was only N18.245bn. The group argued
that at N45m per senator per quarter (N720m in 4 years), N42m per house member
per quarter (N672m in 4 years), it takes N4, 881,394,960 to maintain 109 senators
while N13, 364,450,550 is needed to maintain 360 house members.
“This is so because the rest of what is normally marked as jumbo pay will surface
really in form of quarterly allowances the two chambers approved for themselves
and called running cost quarterly allowances.
“The breakdown is: N42 million for every member of the (lower) house,
amounting to N168 million per annum, or N672 million in four years. Similarly,
the very ‘distinguished senator’ will go home with N720 million in four years
(N45m per quarter, or N180m per annum). What will reflect on the pay slips of the
lawmakers would be the statutory salary, which will come to a meagre N18.245
billion for the two chambers in four years. Of these statutory figures, N4,
881,394,960 will be spent on the 109 senators while the remaining N13,
364,450,550 will be spent to maintain the 360 members of the House of
Representatives,” the group stated. In a bid to meet the challenges of the militant
Islamic sect, Boko Haram, the inspector-general of police (IGP), Hafiz Ringim, has
summoned commissioners of police in the 36 states of the federation and FCT,
even as he has placed all the commands on 24-hour alert.
Responding to the recent threat by the sect, the deputy force public relations
officer, Mr. Yemi Ajayi, a chief superintendent of police (CSP), urged Nigerians to
remain calm as the threat was the handiwork of persons bent on causing panic in
the country. He explained that the IGP would be giving further directive to the
commissioners of police and other senior police officers, pointing out that
intelligence monitoring was on the highest alert. Ajayi appealed to members of the
public to report suspicious movements and persons to the nearest police division as
the perpetrators of crime live among the people.
The police spokesperson asked Nigerians to be security conscious at all times,
adding that the force was on top of the situation. He, however, would not confirm
if arrests had been made in connection with Thursday bombing of the Force
Headquarters by suspected members of the Boko Haram sect. Meanwhile, the
National Assembly, in particular the Senate, has come under fire over their
prolonged absence while the country is literarily under siege.
Some lawmakers are already complaining that the seeming coordinated silence of
the upper chamber to current vexing issues of national importance, like the slow
pace of the new government as a result of non-constitution of the federal cabinet,
and the raging bombing of individuals and public institutions by the terrorist
organisation Boko Haram, portrays the Senate as insensitive.
The Senate which closed down for a three-week recess immediately after its
inauguration on June 6 will resume on Tuesday, June 28.
However, some lawmakers echoed yesterday that they had expected the Senate to
cut short its recess to return and handle pressing state matter, like the confirmation
of ministerial list which, LEADERSHIP exclusively reported last week, had been
sent to the upper chamber by President Goodluck Jonathan.
“I had expected the Senate to reconvene for an emergency session in the light of
the latest development. It is even most unfortunate that the Senate failed to issue a
coordinated response to the bombing of the Police Headquarters in Abuja, except
the condemnation of the act by the Senate president.
Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in the National Assembly. Visitors now
have a herculean task gaining access into the complex, with staff and journalists
being subjected to excruciating security checks before they are allowed to enter the
premises. Aside the search, the car park has been moved out from the public arcade
and is now located behind the new buildings housing the lawmakers of both
chambers.
Boko Haram Suspected Financier Executed
End Of The Road: Foi Shortly Before His Execution.
THE military offensive against members of the extremist Boko Haram Islamic
group claimed more casualties yesterday.
A suspected sponsor of the sect, Mohammed Yusuf-led sect, Alhaji Buji Foi, was
given summary execution in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital by the police.
His execution took place at the state police command headquarters in Maiduguri.
Foi's death came 24 hours after Yusuf was killed in action.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Christopher Dega, confirmed the death of
Yusuf, during a gun battle with joint military/police team on Thursday.
He said quite a number of policemen were killed during the four-day battle with
the Yusufiyya sect members in Maiduguri.
Curiously, Foi was a Commissioner for Religious Affairs during the first term of
Governor Ali Modu Sheriff. Before then, he had served twice as Chairman of Kaga
Local Council, among other top public offices in the state.
Foi, said to be a wealthy man, was arrested yesterday morning in his farm by the
operatives of the Operation Flush 11 led by its commander, Col. Ben Ohanatu,
where he allegedly camped women suspected to be wives of the sect's members.
The former commissioner allegedly used his connection in the state to provide
shelter for the fundamentalists. Before his execution at about 7a.m. yesterday, Foi
was driven on the back of a police patrol van to the Government House by Ohanatu
with his hands tied to the back. The troops had planned to show him to the
governor but when Ohanatu discovered that Sheriff was not in the office, he
headed for the headquarters of the Nigeria Police and handed him over. He was,
thereafter, executed. Sources closed to the outfit said the former commissioner
engaged the members of the Operation Flush in a gun battle for a long time, using
a double barrel gun, which he allegedly acquired when he was a council chief.
Briefing reporters on the circumstances that led to the death of Yusuf and
suspected areas the fanatics were still hiding in the state, Dega said the sect leader
died in a "crisis situation." According to him, during a confrontation with the
troops, Yusuf sustained injuries. Dega said: "The sect leader did not survive the
injuries he sustained at the battle field, after he was picked up. He died Thursday
afternoon."
On the number of policemen that died in the crisis, he said: "There are a lot of
casualties, but we are not releasing the figures now, until we are able to compile a
comprehensive list of policemen and sect members that died in the four-day battle
in Maiduguri." Even though the police are on top of the Maiduguri crisis, he said
"not all of them (sect members) have fled; there are still pockets of areas where
they are living among the people." Dega said Yusuf had prepared to launch a war
against the state government considering the quantum of arms and ammunition
found in his house that the military shelled. He said: "After the shelling, we
recovered guns, locally made bombs, explosives and knives in the arms dump." He
added that the police were still recovering more weapons and ammunitions. The
police boss confirmed that the bodies of sect members killed by the military would
be given mass burial. The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Chief Marshal Paul Dike
and the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ogbonnaya Onovo, visited
Maiduguri to assess the situation in the state. The security chiefs visited the
enclave of the slain sect leader. At the Government House where he was received
by Sheriff, Dike wondered why an individual would want to hold the nation to
ransom because of his religious beliefs. He said he was in the state to reassure the
government and people of Borno State that the security agents would do
everything to prevent such incident in the future. Sheriff thanked President Umaru
Musa Yar'Adua and the heads of security agencies for their support. He said the
group's followers were not true adherents of Islam because the religion abhors
violence.
Meanwhile, Indigenes of Bauchi State mostly women and children, who were
taken to Borno by the sect, arrived in the state capital yesterday. They were handed
over to the state police commissioner at the Force Headquarters in Bauchi.
They were rescued from the group by the joint military and police team. Most of
the children, who were taken with their mothers to Maiduguri, were below the age
of 10. Some of the women, who spoke to reporters said_ they were only in
Maiduguri for nine days with the consent of their husbands, who were members of
the sect, said that before they left Bauchi, they were told that their mission was to
have a deep knowledge of Islam, the Holy Qur'an and other books of the religion
but that they were later dumped in a house with nobody to cater for them.__
The leader of the women, who simply gave her name as Salamatu said: "We went
to Maiduguri for deeper Islamic knowledge, and for the period that we were there,
we were taught nothing but pure religious issues which have now made us better
Moslems. What we did is not against any law and we will remain committed to the
sect."__
Asked what she wants from the government for herself and colleagues, she said:
"All we want is to be re-united with our families so that we can continue with our
faith. My children will not go to formal school because it is against our faith."_
Sixty-year-old Mama Hauwa was taken to Maiduguri against her volition by her
son. "I had to go with them because I would have been left alone in the house and
starved to death but I did not participate in the teachings as we were only kept in a
secluded house in Maiduguri where nobody came to see us for nine days until last
Wednesday when the Police came and took us away."__
The Deputy Commissioner of Police, M.A. Indabawa said the command would
continue with its investigations to get the women's husbands so that their militia
activities would be curtailed.
Boko Haram
Boko Haram (Jama'atu Ahlis
Sunna Lidda'awati wal-
Participant in Nigerian Sectarian
Violence
Active 2002-
Ideology Islamism
Leaders
Mohammed
Yusuf
Mallam Sanni
Umaru
Abu Darda
Headquarters
Kanamma,
Nigeria
Area of
operations
Northern Nigeria
Opponents Nigerian State
Battles/wars
Nigerian
Sectarian
violence
Map of Nigerian states that currently implement Shariah
Boko Haram (figuratively, "Western or non
Nigerian terrorist Islamist
northern states of Nigeria
Jihad)
iolence
non-Islamic education is a sin" is a
group that seeks the imposition of
Nigeria. The group presently has an undefined structure and
Shariah law in the
.
chain of command. The official name of the group is Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna
Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, which in Arabic means "People Committed to the
Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad". The literal translation is
"Association of Sunnis for the Propagation of Islam and for Holy War".
It became known internationally following sectarian violence in Nigeria in 2009.
Etymology
The group's official name is Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, which in
Arabic means "People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings
and Jihad".
But residents of Maiduguri, where it was formed in 2002, dubbed it Boko Haram.
Loosely translated from the local Hausa language, this means Western education is
forbidden. Residents gave it the name because of its strong opposition to Western
education, which it sees as corrupting Muslims. 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".
Ideology
Boko Haram opposes not only Western education, but Western culture and modern
science as well. In a 2009 BBC interview, Yusuf stated that the belief that the
world is a sphere is contrary to Islam and should be rejected, along with
Darwinism and the theory that rain comes from water evaporated by the sun.
History
The group came into existence in the 1960's, but only started to draw attention in
2002. Ustaz Mohammed Yusuf became its leader in the same year. In 2004 it
moved to Kanamma, Yobe State, where it set up a base called "Afghanistan", used
to attack nearby police outposts, killing police officers. Yusuf is hostile to
democracy and the secular education system, vowing that "this war that is yet to
start would continue for long" if the political and educational system was not
changed.
Its followers are said to be influenced by the Koranic phrase which says: "Anyone
who is not governed by what Allah has revealed is among the transgressors". Boko
Haram promotes a version of Islam which makes it "haram", or forbidden, for
Muslims to take part in any political or social activity associated with western
society. This includes voting in elections, wearing shirts and trousers or receiving a
secular education. Boko Haram regards the Nigerian state as being run by nonbelievers,
even when the country had a Muslim president. Since the Sokoto
caliphate, which ruled parts of what is now northern Nigeria, Niger and southern
Cameroon, fell under British control in 1903, there has been resistance among the
area's Muslims to Western education. Many Muslim families still refuse to send
their children to government-run "Western schools", a problem compounded by the
ruling elite which does not see education as a priority. Against this background, the
charismatic Muslim cleric, Mohammed Yusuf, formed Boko Haram in Maiduguri
in 2002. He sat 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. But Boko Haram was not only
interested in education. Its political goal was to create an Islamic state, and the
school became a recruiting ground for jihad is to fight the state.
In Bauchi the group was reported as refusing to mix with local people. The group
includes members who come from neighbouring Chad and speak only in Arabic.
Clash with the state
In July 2009 the Nigerian police started investigating the group, following reports
that the group was arming itself. Several leaders were arrested in Bauchi, sparking
deadly clashes with Nigerian security forces which led to the deaths of an
estimated 700 people.
Attacks
Prior to the clashes, many Muslim leaders and at least one military official had
warned the authorities about Boko Haram. Those warnings were reportedly
ignored
In the state of Yobe, fighters reportedly "used fuel-laden motorcycles" and "bows
with poison arrows" to attack a police station. On 30 July, allegations were made
that Yusuf himself was killed by Nigerian security forces after being taken into
custody.
In January 2010, the group struck again in the Nigerian state of Borno, killing four
people in Dala Alemderi ward in Maiduguri metropolis.
On September 7, 2010, Boko Haram freed over 700 inmates from a prison in
Bauchi State. In December 2010, Boko Haram were blamed for a market bombing,
following which 92 of its members were arrested by police.
On Friday January 28, 2011, a gubernatorial candidate was assassinated, along
with his brother and four police officers.
On March 29, police “thwarted a plot to bomb an [ANPP] election rally” in
Maiduguri, Borno State (map). The threat was blamed on Boko Haram. On April 1
(the day before the original date of Nigeria’s legislative elections), suspected Boko
Haram members attacked a police station in Bauchi. On April 9, a polling center in
Maiduguri was bombed. On April 15, the Maiduguri office of the Independent
National Electoral Commission was bombed, and several people were shot in a
separate incident on the same day. Authorities suspected Boko Haram. On April
20, Boko Haram killed a Muslim cleric and ambushed several police officers in
Maiduguri. On April 22, Boko Haram freed 14 prisoners during a jailbreak in
Yola, Adamawa State.
On Tuesday February 8, 2011, Boko Haram gave conditions for peace. The
radicals demanded that the Borno State Governor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff,
should step down from office with immediate effect and also allow members to
reclaim their mosque in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State. On 9th May 2011
Boko Haram rejected an offer for amnesty made by the governor-elect of Borno
state, Kashim Shettima
Boko Haram was blamed for a series of bombings in northern Nigeria on May 29,
2011 that left 15 dead.
On June 17, 2011, the group claimed responsibility for a bombing attack on the
police force headquarters in Abuja that occurred the previous day. Officials
believed that the attack was the first suicide bombing in Nigeria's history and that it
specifically targeted Police Inspector-General Hafiz Ringim.
On June 26, 2011, the sect carried out a bombing attack on a beer garden in
Maiduguri, according to officials and witnesses. Militants on motorcycles threw
explosives into the drinking spot, killing about 25 people.
On June 27, 2011, another bombing in Maiduguri attributed to the group killed at
least two girls and wounded three customs officials.
On July 03, 2011, a bombing in a beer garden in Maiduguri attributed to the group
killed at least twenty people.
On July 10, 2011, a bombing at a church the All Christian Fellowship Church in
Suleja, Niger State. [33]
On July 11, 2011, the University of Maiduguri closed its Institution down citing
security concerns. [34]
"Boko Haram is seeking to eliminate Christianity" in northern Nigeria
Along with any other target standing in the way of the Islamic state it seeks to
impose. "Muslim radicals kill ten Christians in Nigeria," from the International
Christian Concern, August 8:
Washington, D.C. (August 8, 2011)–International Christian Concern (ICC) has
learned that members of a radical Islamic group, Boko Haram, killed at least ten
Christians in Maiduguri, Nigeria over the past two months in what a Christian
leader is calling a “silent killing” of Christians.
In an interview with ICC, an anonymous local church leader explained, “Boko
Haram is seeking to eliminate Christianity because they want Islamic (Sharia)
law. They don’t want to see anything Christian in the northern states [of Nigeria].
That is why churches are being persecuted and Muslims who don’t follow the
[hardline teachings of] Boko Haram are also persecuted.”
Boko Haram is close to achieving its goal of eliminating Christianity from
Maiduguri. Most of the Christians have fled the city in fear of further attacks by
the Islamists. Of the churches that remain, some have felt compelled to suspend
their services to protect their congregations. [...]
The church leader told ICC that the few Christians who remain in the city are
praying and fasting for God’s intervention. When asked what Christians could do
to help, the church leader said, “They can pray for their fellow Christian brothers
and sisters in Maiduguri. [We also] ask for assistance in the rebuilding of churches
that have been burned down since 2006. The government has not compensated
for the loss of Christians, but it has compensated for losses that Muslims
suffered [at the hands of radical Islamists].”
Members of Boko Haram: in my opinion are watching Islamic encroachment of
Sharia and Islam in the US - to be precise.
Logically, if the descendants of persecuted Muslims refugees in the world, could
assemble in the UK and in United States to advocate, in its most diminutive level –
the implementation and advancement of Sharia in such a high land; then their
islamic brothers in their African home countries, like Nigeriain; who orighinally in
part, caused the immigrants to flee, naturally see it as foot-dragging that they, in
their own part, have not eradicated few Christians in their mist since the creation of
Nigeria.
"...Anyone who sees him/herself as a true Citizen of the United State of America,
yet, is carrying water for Islam, is totally ignorant of the dangerous effect of such
ignorance"
But the interesting part is that as far as I know, all the oil reserves (as well as the
best-watered land, farmland and forests i.e. timber) are in the southern half, where
most of the non-Muslims live.
If Nigeria were divided in half, the Christians, animists and secularists of the south
would get all the oil wealth, plus reliable water and good soil. The Muslims would
be left with the savanna and desert of the north...and none of the oil revenue that
(although their population primarily resides in the north and has historically there
resided) they are currently managing to mostly siphon off - because of their
infiltration of the centres of political power - for themselves.
HOW WE FORMED BOKO HARAM, BY SPOKESMAN
MAIDUGURI - The Jama’atul Ahlus Sunna Lid Da’awatis Jihad, JASLIDAT,
otherwise known as Boko Haram has been quoted by an on-line report that the
masterminds of the radical Islamic sect are some prominent Northerners, whose
identities would be made public soon.
According to the report, by an adherent of the slain leader of the group,
Muhammad Yusuf, who also serves as the spokesman, Mallam Ali Teshako, the
sect emerged due to lack of good governance and injustice in the country.
He said the original brains behind the sect’s formation were Northern elite who,
under the pretext of sponsoring youths to study in the Middle-East, offered them as
mercenaries to countries interested in training terrorists. The spokesperson of the
sect, also known as Yusufiyya, named after its slain leader, said the original name
of the group was Taliban. He said Boko Haram was not its name, but that it was
given to it by people in the states where they have followers and have been
clashing with security operatives. According to him, those who formed JASLIDAT
thought they could manipulate Yusuf into toeing their line, but he resisted.
“If he were alive, he would have spilled the beans on them. Nonetheless, we will
reveal their identities at our convenience.” He said the clashes between the group
and security operatives was as a result of provocations by the police. He recalled
that in 2009, the police, who had shot dead two of their members, traced them to a
cemetery where they went to bury them and wounded 20 more people.
Teshako added: “Not satisfied, they trailed those wounded to a hospital in
Maiduguri and prevented them from getting blood donations and treatments. In the
wake of all these, we were hounded, chased from our homes, some of us were
killed and many were arrested including myself.” He indicated that many of the
atrocities attributed to JASLIDAT were perpetrated by killer-squads funded by
some serving and former governors in the North-East. He cited the attack on a
police station that was carried out by ECOMOG militia allegedly sponsored by a
former Borno State governor. He said, after the attack, his group was blamed.
Dismisses Akhwat Akwop threats Meantime, Teshako has dismissed the Akhwat
Akwop as another “group of vultures” that wants to feast on misfortunes of the
apex government. “This is another group of thieves who want to seek relevance
from the government.” Investigations, however, revealed that in August 2009,
shortly after Muhammad Yusuf was killed, he was linked with one businessman
Bello Damagum, who was alleged to have been receiving money from an alleged
al-Qaeda group in Sudan to recruit youngmen to his organisation. Part of the funds
were also allegedly passed on to Yusuf. In 2004, one Mohammed Salman (aka
Ibrahim) was arrested in Lahore in Pakistan and linked to Al-Qaeda. Same year,
the State Security Service,SSS, in Kano, paraded some young men who absconded
from an al-Qaeda training camp in Mauritania. The SSS director in Kano then,
Sadiq Dalhatu, who is now retired, paraded them, saying they were sent to be
turned into “extreme Islamic zealots.” This led to the arrest and detention of
Damagum, a director with Media Trust Limited (publishers of Daily Trust titles),
and two others by SSS. Later, a court in Kano ruled that their detention was
unlawful and a violation of their fundamental human rights as enshrined under
chapter 4 section 35 of the constitution. Damagum and the other suspects were
detained from June 23 to July 7, 2004. They were awarded N150, 000 cost as
damages. SSS was also directed to write a public apology to the three applicants,
for their unlawful detention. Teshako, however, said in Damagum was a small fry
in the complex matrix of the Boko Haram web created by Northern elites. His
claim was corroborated by a news website which reported that evidence of the
movement’s emergence gathered by SSS were given to the police which refused to
act.
It said: “Inroads made by SSS were thwarted by Muslim leaders who attacked the
Director-General of SSS, Mr. Afakirya Gadzama, for trying to humiliate Islam
because he is a Christian.” The report, entitled, ‘Nigeria: al-Qaeda presence in
Nigeria has been kept under wraps’ stated that “to allay fears of religious
prejudices the SSS chief organised a meeting with some top Muslim leaders and
some of the arrested members of Boko Haram. They (the Northern leaders) have
come out to accept the findings of the security services.” Youth Corpers relocate
from Borno Meanwhile, following the insecurity in Borno State as a result of
activities of Boko Haram members, only 140 of the 1,254 Batch “B” National
Youth Service Corps members posted to the state for their one year mandatory
service will remain. It will be recalled that when the Director-General of NYSC,
Brigadier-General Maharazu Tsiga, visited the state recently, he directed all corps
members who were not indigenes of the state to apply for relocation out of the state
which would automatically be approved, as the security situation posed a great
danger to their lives. The state Coordinator of the NYSC, Mr. Nuhu Kwaghe, told
newsmen, yesterday, after the passing out parade which marked the end of the
three-week orientation course of the 2011 Batch B corps members recently
deployed in Maiduguri, that all those who had applied for relocation have been
approved and most of them would be posted to Yobe, Adamawa, Kaduna, Cross
River and Abia states, among others. He added that NYSC has also approved
more than N4 million to convey all the corps members to wherever they were
posted to. He stressed that adequate security has been provided for those who had
expressed the desire to stay back in Maiduguri. Tsiga said: “I sympathise with
Borno State Government, because most of these corps members are relocating
from the state, had it been that the state is safe, they would have remained and
they would have contributed to the educational and socio-economic development
of the state, as most of them would be posted to rural areas and public schools.”
He,therefore, urged all the corps members to rededicate themselves and be
prepared to serve honestly and faithfully as well as appreciate and cherish the
culture and traditions of their host communities. Reacting to the development, the
Director of Press to Governor Kashim Shettima, Alhaji Zanna Ciroma, expressed
worry over the relocation of corps members from the state, rueing that Borno
would not benefit from the immense contributions of corps members who recently
concluded their orientation course in the state. Ciroma said some of the corps
members were trained doctors and nurses whose services are needed in most of
the health institutions of the state government. He stated that despite the assurance
from government to ensure security of life and property of corps members, some
still felt insecure, even as he said normalcy had returned to the state,
He called on the corps members to feel free, as government was doing everything
possible to enhance their welfare package in the state. Cds tasks Service Chiefs,
others
Against the backdrop of security challenges facing the nation, Chief of Defence
Staff, Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petirin, yesterday, called for a more proactive
leadership among security agencies in combating the problems of Boko Haram and
other violent crises rocking the nation. According to CDS, the time had come for
leaders of security agencies to apply strategic and other means of pre-empting
dangerous societal outbursts and other threats capable of putting at risks, the peace
and stability of the country. Petirin, who was addressing participants of Course 19
intakes of the National Defence College, Abuja, told the senior officers that the
Nigerian Armed Forces, in particular, must imbibe new ways of managing
security.
On the recalcitrant Boko Haram menace, the CDS who delivered a lecture, entitled,
‘Leadership; A New Approach in the Armed Forces’ insisted that the armed forces
and other security agencies were on top of the security challenges posed by the
group.
He said the purpose of the lecture was to re-orientate members of the armed forces
towards new ways of doing things, especially as it concerned pro-activeness in the
fight against threats of terrorism, violent crimes and other acts capable of
undermining the nation. He spoke after the lecture which was held behind closed
doors.
Earlier, Commandant of the college, Rear-Admiral Thomas Lokosun, said most
leaders in several spheres of the society had lost sight of what they should be doing
to keep the nation safer. He advised members of the armed forces to lead the way
in charting the way forward by being more pro-active. Sect kills district head,
daughter
Suspected members of Boko Haram, yesterday, shot and killed Mohammed Ali
Lawal, the district head of Bulabulin in Maiduguri at 8 a.m. in Maiduguri.
Alhaji Ali’s attackers numbering three also shot and killed his nine-year-old
daughter. A neighbour’s daughter was also caught in the cross-fire. Family sources
claimed she sustained serious injuries. Since its resurgence about a year ago, the
sect has targetted and killed several districts heads, Islamic scholars, local officials
and security agents in a campaign of violence. (Vanguard)
Jihad
Jihad د ǧihād, an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the
word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the
Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God (aljihad
fi sabil Allah)". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is
mujahideen. Jihad is an important religious duty for Muslims. A minority among
the Sunni scholars sometimes refer to this duty as the sixth pillar of Islam, though
it occupies no such official status. In Twelver Shi'a Islam, however, Jihad is one of
the 10 Practices of the Religion.
Traditionally Jihad was understood to be a military effort. In an offensive war it is
an obligation on the Muslim community as a whole (fard kifaya), and in a
defensive war it becomes a personal obligation (fard 'ayn) on every adult male
Muslim. The war was primarily considered to be against unbelievers, those not of
the Islamic faith. Other interpretations put forward by reformers and modernizers
in the nineteenth and twentieth century argue that Jihad is primarily a moral and
spiritual struggle. In western societies the term jihad is often translated by nonmuslims
as "holy war". Scholars of Islamic studies often stress that these words are
not synonymous. Muslim authors, in particular, tend to reject such an approach,
stressing non-militant connotations of the word.
Origins
The beginnings of Jihad are traced back to the words and actions of Muhammad
and the Quran. This encourages the use of Jihad against non-Muslims. The Quran,
however, never uses the term Jihad for fighting and combat in the name of Allah;
qital is used to mean “fighting.” Jihad in the Quran was originally intended for the
nearby neighbors of the Muslims, but as time passed and more enemies arose, the
Quranic statements supporting Jihad were updated for the new adversaries. The
first documentation of the law of Jihad was written by ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Awza’i
and Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani. The document grew out of debates that
had surfaced ever since Muhammad's death.
Usage of the term
In Modern Standard Arabic, jihad is one of the correct terms for a struggle for any
cause, violent or not, religious or secular (though ح  kifāḥ is also used] For
instance, Mahatma Gandhi's satyagraha struggle for Indian independence is called
a "jihad" in Modern Standard Arabic (as well as many other dialects of Arabic); the
terminology is also applied to the fight for women's liberation.[13]
The term 'jihad' has accrued both violent and non-violent meanings. It can simply
mean striving to live a moral and virtuous life, spreading and defending Islam as
well as fighting injustice and oppression, among other things. The relative
importance of these two forms of jihad is a matter of controversy. A poll by Gallup
showed that a "significant majority" of Muslim Indonesians define the term to
mean "sacrificing one's life for the sake of Islam/God/a just cause" or "fighting
against the opponents of Islam". In Lebanon, Kuwait, Jordan, and Morocco, the
majority used the term to mean "duty toward God", a "divine duty", or a "worship
of God", with no militaristic connotations. Other responses referenced, in
descending order of prevalence:
· "A commitment to hard work" and "achieving one's goals in life"
· "Struggling to achieve a noble cause"
· "Promoting peace, harmony or cooperation, and assisting others"
· "Living the principles of Islam"
Distinction of "greater" and "lesser" jihad
In his work, The History of Baghdad, Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, an 11th-century
Islamic scholar, referenced a statement by the companion of Muhammad Jabir ibn
Abd-Allah. The reference stated that Jabir said, "The Prophet... returned from one
of his battles, and thereupon told us, 'You have arrived with an excellent arrival,
you have come from the Lesser Jihad to the Greater Jihad—the striving of a
servant (of Allah) against his desires (holy war)." This reference gave rise to the
distinguishing of two forms of jihad: "greater" and "lesser". Some Islamic scholars
dispute the authenticity of this reference and consider the meaning of jihad as a
holy war to be more important.
The Non Muslim scholar, David Cook's opinion is that the violent Jihad is not
superseded by the spiritual Jihad, he writes:
In reading Muslim literature -- both contemporary and classical -- one can see that
the evidence for the primacy of spiritual jihad is negligible. Today it is certain that
no Muslim, writing in a non-Western language (such as Arabic, Persian, Urdu),
would ever make claims that jihad is primarily nonviolent or has been superseded
by the spiritual jihad. Such claims are made solely by Western scholars, primarily
those who study Sufism and/or work in interfaith dialogue, and by Muslim
apologists who are trying to present Islam in the most innocuous manner possible
David Cook, Understanding Jihad, University of California Press, 2005,
p.165-6
According to the Muslim Jurist Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, the quote in which
Muhammad is reported to have said that greater Jihad is the inner struggle, is from
an unreliable source:
"This saying is widespread and it is a saying by Ibrahim ibn Ablah according to
Nisa'i in al-Kuna. Ghazali mentions it in the Ihya' and al-`Iraqi said that Bayhaqi
related it on the authority of Jabir and said: There is weakness in its chain of
transmission." Hajar al Asqalani, Tasdid al-qaws, see also Kashf al-Khafaa’
(no.1362)
Best Jihad
During the Arab spring, many peaceful demonstrations in Arab countries faced
violence and gunfire by their government's regime. The gunfires encouraged the
protests and fed them to revolutions, based on their strong faith of what is called
"the best Jihad". The best Jihad was encouraged by their prophet, Muhammad,
saying:
"The best Jihad is the word of Justice in front of the oppressive Sultan [ruler]."
In a battlefield context, when jihad is used to denote warfare, Ibn Nuhaas cited the
following hadith to explain the meaning of the "best Jihad":
Ibn Habbaan narrates: The Messenger of Allah was asked about the best jihad. He
said: “The best jihad is the one in which your horse is slain and your blood is
spilled.” [Al Baqarah 15]
In a similarly worded Hadith to the one above, Ibn Nuhaas cited a hadith from
Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, where it states that the highest kind of Jihad, is "“The
person who is killed whilst spilling the last of his blood.”[Ahmed 4/144]
It has also been reported that Muhammad considered performing hajj to be the best
jihad for Muslim women.
Spiritual struggle
Muslim scholar Mahmoud Ayoub states that "The goal of true jihad is to attain a
harmony between islam (submission), iman (faith), and ihsan (righteous living)."
In modern times, Pakistani scholar and professor Fazlur Rahman Malik has used
the term to describe the struggle to establish "just moral-social order", while
President Habib Bourguiba of Tunisia has used it to describe the struggle for
economic development in that country.
Warfare (Jihad bil Saif)
Further information: Mujahideen, Jihadism, and Jihad fi sabil Allah
Within classical Islamic jurisprudence—the development of which is to be dated
into the first few centuries after the prophets death—jihad is the only form of
warfare permissible under Islamic law, and may consist in wars against
unbelievers, apostates, rebels, highway robbers and dissenters renouncing the
authority of Islam.[30] The primary aim of jihad as warfare is not the conversion of
non-Muslims to Islam by force, but rather the expansion and defense of the Islamic
state.[31][32] In later centuries, especially in the course of the colonization of large
parts of the Muslim world, emphasis has been put on non-militant aspects of the
jihad. Today, some Muslim authors only recognize wars with the aim of territorial
defense as well as the defense of religious freedom as legitimate.[33]
Whether the Quran sanctions defensive warfare only or commands an all out war
against non-Muslims depends on the interpretation of the relevant passages. This is
because it does not explicitly state the aims of the war Muslims are obliged to
wage; the passages concerning jihad rather aim at promoting fighters for the
Islamic cause and do not discuss military ethics.
In the classical manuals of Islamic jurisprudence, the rules associated with armed
warfare are covered at great length. Such rules include not killing women, children
and non-combatants, as well as not damaging cultivated or residential areas.[36]
More recently, modern Muslims have tried to re-interpret the Islamic sources,
stressing that Jihad is essentially defensive warfare aimed at protecting Muslims
and Islam. Although some Islamic scholars have differed on the implementation of
Jihad, there is consensus amongst them that the concept of jihad will always
include armed struggle against persecution and oppression.
Debate
Controversy has arisen over whether the usage of the term jihad without further
explanation refers to military combat, and whether some have used confusion over
the definition of the term to their advantage.
Middle East historian Bernard Lewis argues that "the overwhelming majority of
classical theologians, jurists, and traditionalists (specialists in the hadith)
understood the obligation of jihad in a military sense."[39] Furthermore, Lewis
maintains that for most of the recorded history of Islam, from the lifetime of the
Prophet Muhammad onward, the word jihad was used in a primarily military
sense.[40]
Bernard Lewis' interpretation on Jihad is partially correct according to Fiqh Made
Easy: A Basic Textbook of Islamic Law which describes Jihad as being "divided
into four types:
1. Jihad against the soul: Struggling against the soul to yearn for the Religion,
act upon those teachings, and call others to them. (Paraphrased)
2. Jihad against Shaytan: Struggling against Satan without doubts or desires.
3. Jihad against the disbelievers and hypocrites: this is done with the tongue,
hand, heart and wealth.
4. Jihad against heretics, liars, and evilfolk: This is best done with the hand, if
not the hand then the tongue, if that's not possible then the heart."
Views of different Muslim groups
Ahmadiyya
Main article: Ahmadiyya view on Jihad
In Ahmadiyya Islam, pacifism is a strong current, and jihad is one's personal inner
struggle and should not be used violently for political motives. Violence is the last
option only to be used to protect religion and one's own life in extreme situations
of persecution.
Sunni
Jihad has been classified either as al-jihād al-akbar (the greater jihad), the struggle
against one's soul (nafs), or al-jihād al-asghar (the lesser jihad), the external,
physical effort, often implying fighting (this is similar to the shiite view of jihad as
well).
Gibril Haddad has analyzed the basis for the belief that internal jihad is the "greater
jihad", Jihad al-akbar. Haddad identifies the primary historical basis for this belief
in a pair of similarly worded hadith, in which Mohammed is reported to have told
warriors returning home that they had returned from the lesser jihad of struggle
against non-Muslims to a greater jihad of struggle against lust. Although Haddad
notes that the authenticity of both hadeeth is questionable, he nevertheless
concludes that the underlying principle of superiority internal jihad does have a
reliable basis in the Quran and other writings.
In contrast, the Hanbali scholar Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya did believe that "internal
Jihad" is important[45] but he suggests those hadith as weak which consider "Jihad
of the heart/soul" to be more important than "Jihad by the sword".[46]
Contemporary Islamic scholar Abdullah Yusuf Azzam has argued the hadith is not
just weak but "is in fact a false, fabricated hadith which has no basis. It is only a
saying of Ibrahim Ibn Abi `Abalah, one of the Successors, and it contradicts textual
evidence and reality."
Muslim jurists explained there are four kinds of jihad fi sabilillah (struggle in the
cause of God):
· Jihad of the heart (jihad bil qalb/nafs) is concerned with combatting the
devil and in the attempt to escape his persuasion to evil. This type of Jihad
was regarded as the greater jihad (al-jihad al-akbar).
· Jihad by the tongue (jihad bil lisan) is concerned with speaking the truth
and spreading the word of Islam with one's tongue.
· Jihad by the hand (jihad bil yad) refers to choosing to do what is right and
to combat injustice and what is wrong with action.
· Jihad by the sword (jihad bis saif) refers to qital fi sabilillah (armed
fighting in the way of God, or holy war), the most common usage by Salafi
Muslims and offshoots of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Some contemporary Islamists have succeeded in replacing the greater jihad, the
fight against desires, with the lesser jihad, the holy war to establish, defend and
extend the Islamic state.
Sufic
The Sufic view classifies "Jihad" into two; the "Greater Jihad" and the "Lesser
Jihad". Muhammad put the emphasis on the "greater Jihad" by saying that "Holy is
the warrior who is at war with himself".In this sense external wars and strife are
seen but a satanic counterfeit of the true "jihad" which can only be fought and won
within; no other Salvation existing can save man without the efforts of the man
himself being added to the work involved of self-refinement. In this sense it is the
western view of the Holy Grail which comes closest to the Sufic ideal; for to the
Sufis Perfection is the Grail; and the Holy Grail is for those who after they become
perfect by giving all they have to the poor then go on to become "Abdal" or
"changed ones" like Enoch who was "taken" by God because he "walked with
God". (Genesis:5:24) here the "Holy Ones" gain the surname "Hadrat" or "The
Presence".
Violent Islamic groups
The Assassins - 1124
The fedayeen were the ardent followers of Hasan-i Sabbah (d. 1124), a leader of
Ismail Shia in Iran, Iraq, and in Syria. Known to the west as the Assassins. The
Assassins are regarded as "the first group to make systematic use of murder as a
political weapon." Established in Iran and Syria in the eleventh and twelfth
centuries, they used assassination and terrorism with the aim of overthrowing
Sunni Islam's order and establishing their own.
Fedayeen-i Islam
The most open and clear religious fedayeen in the modern period were the
Fedayeen-i Islam. Through assassinations of secular officials they aimed at
changing the regime in Iran towards Islamization and introduce Sharia law.
In the 1890s the Shiite leadership in Iran became very involved in violence,
terrorism via Fedayeen-i Islam. Meaning the "self-sacrificers of Islam" they
followed Shia theology, targeting British and Russian officials for assassination.
Ayatollah Khomeini, leader of the Shiites in Iran was from the same area as the
earlier "assassins". The Hur Brotherhood was another group of Assassins that
emerged from a combination of religion and politics in the 1890s, modern
fedayeen, like the Assassins, find strength in the promise of a reward in "paradise."
The Ayatollah was very involved with the Fedayeen-i Islam who had a "network of
holy killers engaged in repeated attempts at political assassinations." In 1944 he
published: Kashf al-Asrar ("the Revealing of Secrets", served as a guidance for
the violent Fedayeen. Indeed, the militant group covered for the Ayatollah
Khomeini until he became in power.
Muslim brotherhood
Main article: Muslim brotherhood
In 1928, Hassan al-Banna founded the Muslim Brotherhood, a rigidly conservative
and highly secretive Egyptian-based organization dedicated to resurrecting a
Muslim empire (Caliphate). According to al-Banna, "It is the nature of Islam to
dominate, not to be dominated, to impose its law on all nations and to extend its
power to the entire planet." The Muslim Brotherhood, also called Muslim Brethren
(jamiat al-Ikhwan al-muslimun, literally Society of Muslim Brothers), it opposes
secular tendencies of Islamic nations and wants return to the precepts of the Quran,
and rejection of Western influences. Al Bana was Born out of the extreme Muslim
right wing's desire to counter the ideology of modernization, the Brotherhood's
platform included a strict interpretation of the Quran (Quran) that glorified suicidal
violence. Along with Al Banna, the grand Mufti of Jerusalem Haj-al Amin Al-
Husseini was also an enormously influential Muslim leader of the time. Together,
the two created a powerful and popular Islamist party by classically appealing to
fundamentalist Islamic principals while blaming the world's problems on the Jews.
Al-Banna also gave the group the motto it still uses today: "Allah is our purpose,
the Prophet our leader, the Quran our constitution, jihad our way and dying for
God our supreme objective." The 9/11 Commission Report states the
Brotherhood's influence on Osama bin Laden and on Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman
responsible for the 1993 attack on the WTC. An important aspect of the Muslim
Brotherhood ideology is the sanctioning of Jihad such as the 2004 fatwa issued by
Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi making it a religious obligation of Muslims to
abduct and kill U.S. citizens in Iraq.
It advocated a war of Arabism and Islamic Jihad against the British and the Jews.
The Muslim brotherhood waged a "Holy war" against Syria after the Hama
massacre.
The BBC explains how the roots of Jihad and the origins of Bin Laden's concept of
jihad can be traced back to two early 20th century figures, who started powerful
Islamic revivalist movements in response to colonialism and its aftermath. al-
Banna blamed the western idea of separation between religion and politics for
Muslims' decline. In the 1950s Sayed Qutb, Muslim Brotherhood's prominent
member, took the arguments of al-Banna even further. For Qutb, "all non-Muslims
were infidels - even the so-called people of the book, the Christians and Jews," he
also predicted an eventual clash of civilisations between Islam and the west. "Qutb
inspired a whole generation of Islamists, including Ayatollah Khomeini." The
Muslim world widely accepted his ideology post Arabs' defeat in the 1967 war.
The Muslim Brotherhood has been involved in violent attacks. From its Islamic
theme in its symbolism: on its flag there's a brown square frames a green circle
with a white perimeter. Two swords cross inside the circle beneath a red Quran.
The cover of the Quran says: "Truly, it is the Generous Quran." The Arabic
beneath the sword handles translates as "Be prepared." A reference to a Quranic
verse that talks of preparing to fight the enemies of God.[62] It is among 17 groups
categorized as "terrorist organizations" by the Russian government, as well as in
Egypt, where they started to perform terrorist attacks, now banned by that
government.
Scholar states that in "The Muslim Brotherhood's Conquest of Europe," its real
goal is to extend Islamic law Sharia throughout Europe and the United States.
Contemporary Islamism holds that Islam is now under attack, and therefore -
experts explainJihad
is now a war of defense, and as such has become not only a collective duty
but an individual duty without restrictions or limitations. That is, to the Islamists,
Jihad is a total, all-encompassing duty to be carried out by all Muslims – men and
women, young and old. All infidels, without exception, are to be fought and
annihilated, and no weapons or types of warfare are barred. Furthermore,
according to them, current Muslim rulers allied with the West are considered
apostates and infidels. One major ideological influence in Islamist thought was
Sayyid Qutb. Qutb, an Egyptian, was the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood
movement. He was convicted of treason for plotting to assassinate Egyptian
president Gamal Abd Al-Nasser and was executed in 1966. He wrote extensively
on a wide range of Islamic issues. According to Qutb, "There are two parties in all
the world: the Party of Allah and the Party of Satan – the Party of Allah which
stands under the banner of Allah and bears his insignia, and the Party of Satan,
which includes every community, group, race, and individual that does not stand
under the banner of Allah."
In the "Holy land foundation" case of the Palestinian Arab al-Arian's involvement
in funding terror organization, the Muslim Brotherhood's papers detailed plan to
seize U.S. The Group's takeover plot emerged when revealed a handful of
classified evidence detailing Islamist extremists' ambitious plans for a U.S.
takeover. Terrorism researchers said "the memos and audiotapes, many translated
from Arabic and containing detailed strategies by the international Islamist group
the Muslim Brotherhood, are proof that extremists have long sought to replace the
Constitution with Shariah, or Islamic law," paving its way via a plot to form "a
complex network of seemingly benign Muslim organizations whose real job,
according to the (US) government, was to spread militant propaganda and raise
money." The Muslim Brotherhood created some American Muslim groups and
sought influence in others, many of which are listed as unindicted co-conspirators
in the Holy Land case, such as CAIR.
On a website devoted to Ramadhan, the Muslim Brotherhood posted a series of
articles by Dr. Ahmad 'Abd Al-Khaleq about Al-Walaa Wa'l-Baraa, an Islamic
doctrine which, in its fundamentalist interpretation, stipulates absolute allegiance
to the community of Muslims and total rejection of non-Muslims and of Muslims
who have strayed from the path of Islam. In his articles, the writer argues that
according to this principle, a Muslim can come closer to Allah by hating all non-
Muslims -Christians, Jews, atheists, or polytheists - and by waging jihad against
them in every possible manner.
Indeed, the Muslim Brotherhood has a long-standing war on the West. From 1948
until the 1970s it engaged in assassinations and terrorism in Egypt, and has
indoctrinated many who went on to commit acts of terror. Muslim Brotherhood's
supreme guide issued the statement that Al Qaeda's "Bin Laden is a Jihad Fighter."
The accused mastermind of the 9/11 terror massacre, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
was raised in Kuwait and joined the Muslim Brotherhood at age 16.
Warfare in Muslim societies
The major imperial Muslim dynasties of Ottoman Turkey (Sunni) and Persia (Shia)
each established systems of authority around traditional Islamic institutions. In the
Ottoman empire, the concept of ghaza was promulgated as a sister obligation to
jihad. The Ottoman ruler Mehmed II is said to have insisted on the conquest of
Constantinople (Christian Byzantium) by justifying ghaza as a basic duty. Later
Ottoman rulers would apply ghaza to justify military campaigns against the Persian
Safavid dynasty. Thus both rival empires established a tradition that a ruler was
only considered truly in charge when his armies had been sent into the field in the
name of the true faith, usually against giaurs or heretics — often meaning each
other. The 'missionary' vocation of the Muslim dynasties was prestigious enough to
be officially reflected in a formal title as part of a full ruler style: the Ottoman
(many also had Ghazi as part of their name) Sultan Murad Khan II Khoja-Ghazi,
6th Sovereign of the House of Osman (1421–1451), literally used Sultan ul-
Mujahidin.
The so-called Fulbe jihad states and a few other jihad states in western Africa were
established by a series of offensive wars.
The commands inculcated in the Quran (in five suras from the period after
Muhammad had established his power) on Muslims to fight those who will neither
embrace Islam nor pay a poll-tax (Jizya) were not interpreted as a general
injunction on all Muslims constantly to make war on the infidels (originally only
polytheists who claimed to be monotheists, not "People of the Book", Jesus is seen
as the last of the precursors of the Prophet Muhammed; the word infidel had
different historical uses, notably used by the Crusaders to refer to the Muslims they
were fighting against). It was generally supposed that the order for a general war
can only be given by the Caliph (an office that was claimed by the Ottoman
sultans), but Muslims who did not acknowledge the spiritual authority of the
Caliphate (which is vacant), such as non-Sunnis and non-Ottoman Muslim states,
always looked to their own rulers for the proclamation of a jihad; there has been in
fact no universal warfare by Muslims on non-believers since the early caliphate.
Some proclaimed Jihad by claiming themselves as mahdi, e.g. the Sudanese
Mahommed Ahmad in 1882.
Non-Muslim opinions
The United States Department of Justice has used its own ad hoc definitions of
jihad in indictments of individuals involved in terrorist activities:
· "As used in this First Superseding Indictment, 'Jihad' is the Arabic word
meaning 'holy war'. In this context, jihad refers to the use of violence,
including paramilitary action against persons, governments deemed to be
enemies of the fundamentalist version of Islam."
· "As used in this Superseding Indictment, 'violent jihad' or 'jihad' include
planning, preparing for, and engaging in, acts of physical violence, including
murder, maiming, kidnapping, and hostage-taking." in the indictment against
several individuals including.
Maxime Rodinson, an orientalist, wrote that "Jihad is a propagandistic device
which, as need be, resorts to armed struggle – two ingredients common to many
ideological movements."
In English-speaking countries, especially the United States, the term "jihadist" has
been used in Western media as a synonym for mujahid, and frequently used to
describe militant Islamic groups, including but not restricted to Islamic terrorism.
According to the Center for the Study of Political Islam (CSPI), a group critical of
Islam, killing through Jihad of around 270 million non-Muslims in the Middle
East, Africa and South Asia has occurred over the last 1400 years.
Mohammed Yusuf (Boko Haram)
Mohammed Yusuf (29 January 1970 - 30 July 2009) was a Muslim sect leader.
He was born in Girgir village, in Yobe State, Nigeria. He founded the militant
Islamist Boko Haram the group's official name is Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna
Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, which in Arabic means "People Committed to the
Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad" in 2002 and was its spiritual
leader until he was killed in the 2009 Nigerian sectarian violence. He was more
commonly called Ustaz Mohammed Yusuf.
Controversy
In a 2009 BBC interview, Yusuf stated that the belief that the world is a sphere is
contrary to Islam and should be rejected, along with Darwinism and the theory that
rain comes from water evaporated by the sun.
Death
Yusuf was killed by Nigerian security forces in Maiduguri, Borno State, after
being taken into custody, allegedly while trying to escape from prison. He had four
wives, the maximum allowed under Islamic tradition, and 12 children.
Thirty-nine-year-old Mohammed Yusuf had managed to escape death a day earlier
along with 300 of his followers as federal troops shelled his compound in the city
of Maiduguri, killing about 100 people, including Yusuf's deputy.
Nigeria Launches Boko Haram Fact-Finding Panel
Shattered remnants are seen at the site of a bomb blast at a bar in the Nigerian city of Maiduguri, July 3, 2011
The Nigerian government has launched a fact-finding mission into the militant
Islamist group Boko Haram, which has claimed responsibility for numerous deadly
attacks in the northeast and in the capital, Abuja. Know thy enemy. That appears
to be the first order of business for the government committee officially
inaugurated Tuesday. Its seven members have two weeks to assess the security
challenges in Nigeria's northeastern Borno State. The committee marks the first
real step toward a non-military solution regarding Boko Haram, which launched a
brief and violent uprising against the government in July 2009. The group has
since been blamed for a string of bombings and shootings that have targeted
churches, public gathering places, and authority figures such as police officers,
clergy, and government officials. The committee was originally tasked with
opening negotiations with the militants. But the secretary to the Nigerian
government, Anyim Pius Anyim, said Tuesday that would be getting ahead of
themselves. "That should be the second leg of the assignment. You don't negotiate
with who you don't know. We don't know these people. They are faceless. You
don't negotiate with the air. We are providing a forum where whatever information
you have, whatever opinion you have, whatever suggestion you have, relay it to
this body," Anyim stated. Indeed, much is unknown about Boko Haram, including
its size, leadership and level of organization. Boko Haram has rebuffed previous
government overtures for dialogue, and building trust with the militants remains a
formidable hurdle to negotiations. Recent attempts by security forces to crack
down on them have backfired, and some say have even escalated the violence.
The committee chairman, ambassador Usman Gaji Galtimari, said the problem is
difficult but not "insurmountable" and called on Boko Haram to embrace the
dialogue process. "I assure them that all of their genuine grievances will be
addressed by the committee and appropriate recommendations made," Galtimari
said.
Galtimari urged the group's members to appreciate that "the government is not
against them and that society is not at war with them." The group's name in the
Hausa language means "Western education is sin." It seeks to undermine state
authority and calls for the stricter application of sharia, or Islamic law, in northern
Nigeria.
Security analysts say Boko Haram is a symptom of larger issues in the north
including poverty and a sense of alienation from the central government in Abuja.
Nigerian public affairs analyst, Kole Shittima, said the committee is a welcome
step, but the government should not stop there. "This is a problem of human
security. It has to do with education, health, employment, so I hope that this
discussion is not just about OK, lay down your arms and we are going to maybe
exchange your arms for something," Shittima explained. The committee will try to
learn all it can about Boko Haram's leadership, grievances, and goals before
recommending a course of action.