Who is Boko Haram?

Boko haram is a fundamentalist jihad terrorist group located in Northeastern Nigeria. It was formed in 2002  in Maidiguru  by the leader Mohammed Yusuf. The group's formal name is Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad which translates from Arabic, to "People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophets Teaching and Jihad." The group was coined the name "Boko Haram" by the Maidiguru locals. The name Boko Haram is in the Hausa language, a language spoken by the Hausa people who are predominant and indigenous to  Northeastern Nigeria. Boko Haram translates to "Western Education is Sacrilege" which as the name suggests, denounces the Western world. However given Nigeria's position as the most populous state in Africa, with over 300 ethnic groups,  the uprising of this terrorist group is more of a direct result from inequality, economic disparity, ethnic tension as well as lack of development in the Northern region. These factors are all in many ways related to  politics and corruption. Due to this Boko Haram and other radical Northerner supporters have demands for a better society which they insist  Shariah Law implementation would provide. To understand this issue, one must fully understand the demographics of Nigeria. The country is divided by a underdeveloped Muslim North and more developed Christian South. An element unique to Nigeria, is the people can be tied to both an ethnic tribe and  religion simultaneously. This issue proves to  cause confusion when analyzing the violence in Nigeria because though the violence is perceived to be religiously affiliated it actually has underlying ethnic issues which is the crucial cause of such violence. The Muslims of the north are predominately apart of the Hausa ethnic tribe.  Recent activities from the group has built  upon already existing tensions now, creating tension also between Christians and Muslims. In addition, the lack of government to ensure the necessary social institutions in the North has resulted in a lack of faith from the Nigerian people. This has granted Boko Haram an opportunity to adopt an authoritative attitude in doing what they feel is necessary to attain all that the Nigerian government has failed to provide.

start at 9:18
end 12:49

BBC, "Who are Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamists?." Last modified January 11,2012. Accessed April 1, 2012. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13809501.