Islamic Extremism In Northern Nigeria
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Islamic extremism Islamic extremism, Islamist extremism, or radical Islam, is used in reference to extremist beliefs and behaviors which are associated with the Islamic religion. These are controversial terms with varying definitions, ranging from academic unde ...
is adherence to a
fundamentalist Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that is characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishing ...
interpretation of
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
(see
Islamic fundamentalism Islamic fundamentalism has been defined as a puritanical, revivalist, and reform movement of Muslims who aim to return to the founding scriptures of Islam. Islamic fundamentalists are of the view that Muslim-majority countries should return t ...
), potentially including the promotion of violence to achieve political goals (see
Jihadism Jihadism is a neologism which is used in reference to "militant Islamic movements that are perceived as existentially threatening to the West" and "rooted in political Islam."Compare: Appearing earlier in the Pakistani and Indian media, Wes ...
). In contemporary times, Islamic extremism in Northern Nigeria is typified by the
Boko Haram Boko Haram, officially known as ''Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād'' ( ar, جماعة أهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد, lit=Group of the People of Sunnah for Dawah and Jihad), is an Islamic terrorist organization ...
insurgency An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion against authority waged by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare from primarily rural base areas. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric nature: small irregu ...
and the
proselytizing Proselytism () is the policy of attempting to convert people's religious or political beliefs. Proselytism is illegal in some countries. Some draw distinctions between ''evangelism'' or '' Da‘wah'' and proselytism regarding proselytism as invol ...
campaigns of
salafist The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a reform branch movement within Sunni Islam that originated during the nineteenth century. The name refers to advocacy of a return to the traditions of the "pious predecessors" (), the first three generati ...
groups such as the
Izala Society Izala Society or ''Jama'atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa Iqamatus Sunnah'' (Society of Removal of Innovation and Re-establishment of the Sunnah), also called JIBWIS, is a Salafi movement originally established in Northern Nigeria to fight what it sees a ...
.


History

The first recorded extremism in what is now Northern Nigeria was waged in the 14th century by the then Sultan of Kano Ali Yaji, it culminated in the
Battle of Santolo The Battle of Santolo was a decisive battle between the newly declared Kano Sultanate and the Animist Hausa Kingdom of Santolo, it was the first recorded Islamic Jihad waged and fought in Sudanic Africa. Background In the 14th century, Islamic i ...
and the subsequent transformation of the Habe-Hausa Kingdoms of Northern Nigeria into Islamic Sultanates. In the 19th Century, the Fula people led by
Usman dan Fodio Usman Ɗan Fodio ( ar, عثمان بن فودي, translit=ʿUthmān ibn Fodio; 15 December 1754 – 20 April 1817) was a Fulani scholar, Sunni Islamic religious teacher, revolutionary, and philosopher who founded the Sokoto Caliphate and ruled ...
overthrew many of these Sultanates in another Jihad campaign and replaced them with the more puritanical
Sokoto Caliphate The Sokoto Caliphate (), also known as the Fulani Empire or the Sultanate of Sokoto, was a Sunni Muslim caliphate in West Africa. It was founded by Usman dan Fodio in 1804 during the Fulani jihads after defeating the Hausa Kingdoms in the Ful ...
. The slow rise of Islamic mysticism in the form of Sufi Brotherhoods under the
Caliphate A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...
reversed some of the more puritanical tendencies of the early caliphate. After the pacification of Northern Nigeria by the British, they preserved most of the native institutions of the Sokoto Caliphate including its Emirates which were aligned with the Sufi Orders. In the 1960s, the former Grand Qadi of Northern Nigeria,
Abubakar Gumi Abubakar Mahmud Gumi (7 November 1924 – 11 September 1992) was a Nigerian Islamic scholarly method, scholar and Grand Khadi of the Northern Region, Nigeria, Northern Region of Nigeria (1962–1967), a position which made him a central authority ...
and Sheikh Ismaila Idris with support of wahabbist organisations from
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
established the ''Jamatul Izalatul Bidia Wa Ikhamatul Sunnah''. Infused with further religious zeal from Gumi, offshoots of Izalatul Bidi'a Wa Ikamatul Sunnah like Boko Haram and
Ansaru The Vanguard for the Protection of Muslims in Black Africa ( ar, جماعة أنصار المسلمين في بلاد السودان '), better known as Ansaru and less commonly called al-Qaeda in the Lands Beyond the Sahel, is an Islamic fundame ...
developed.


Izala

Izala was the first Islamist organization in modern times to openly advocate for a militant transformation of Northern Nigerian institutions in line with fundamentalist interpretations of Islam. Officially founded in 1978 with funding from Saudi Arabia, it is split between the more Militant Ikhwanist-Qutbist view and the more political Maududist view. The Ikhwanists find inspiration from the teachings of the early Wahabist Ikhwan Movement and
Sayyid Qutb Sayyid 'Ibrāhīm Ḥusayn Quṭb ( or ; , ; ar, سيد قطب إبراهيم حسين ''Sayyid Quṭb''; 9 October 1906 – 29 August 1966), known popularly as Sayyid Qutb ( ar, سيد قطب), was an Egyptians, Egyptian author, educato ...
, who justified the violent overthrow of systems deemed un-Islamic. In 2001, a faction of the Ikhwanist broke away to form Boko Haram. The Maududist faction found inspiration from the teachings of the movements founder
Abubakar Gumi Abubakar Mahmud Gumi (7 November 1924 – 11 September 1992) was a Nigerian Islamic scholarly method, scholar and Grand Khadi of the Northern Region, Nigeria, Northern Region of Nigeria (1962–1967), a position which made him a central authority ...
and
Abul A'la Maududi Abul A'la al-Maududi ( ur, , translit=Abū al-Aʿlā al-Mawdūdī; – ) was an Islamic scholar, Islamist ideologue, Muslim philosopher, jurist, historian, journalist, activist and scholar active in British India and later, following the parti ...
, and advocated for a 'smart' political jihad that they believe will mitigate any loss of life on their part.


Boko Haram

Jihadist group Boko Haram began their insurgency with an uprising in 2009. They have carried out many attacks since then, killing thousands of people. In the mid-2010s, their insurgency expanded into
Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
,
Chad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...
and
Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languages