Boko Haram: The Face of Modern Terrorism

Defined as: the unlawful use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims, terrorism had been one of the world’s biggest problems since the turn of the century. Formed in 2002, the African terrorist group Boko Haram has been imposing fear and inflicting violence throughout Nigeria for the greater part of the last two decades. Founded by Mohammed Yusuf, the group opposes all western education in their home country, wishing instead for widespread institutional Islamic education in the mostly Christian country; and they’ll stop at nothing to get it (Mapping Militants). 

Although originally a mostly non-violent and pacifist group, over time Boko Haram has transformed, murdering thousands in Africa and displacing millions more. In 2014, the group captured international attention by capturing 276 schoolgirls and taking advantage of them to further their push for Islamic education. Sparking responses from celebrities across the world, including people like Michelle Obama, the kidnapping took Boko Haram from a local group to a global threat(Smith). The world was put on notice, with leaders across nations monitoring the group’s “capacity to carry out major operations” (Cook).  

At the formation of the group, Boko Haram was a Sunni Islamic sect with the mission of ridding Nigeria of western education. From 2002 until 2009, the group had little to no political aspirations, mostly staying out of the way and fighting for Islamic education simply by establishing schools. That all changed in 2009, with the death of founder Mohammed Yusuf, after which the group quickly resorted to violence to push their agenda, even turning on their own who wouldn’t show loyalty. Since then the group has been on thin ice, and in 2015, they experienced another shift. After becoming an affiliate of the Islamic state in 2015, the group split over tensions from the failures of the past. The split created the Islamic State’s West Africa Province and Jama’atu Ahl al-Sunnah Lil-Dawa Wal-Jihad. Boko Haram has been active since the split, but not as much as they were under a single leader (Mapping Militants). 

Although they have not been breathing down the neck of Nigeria’s government as of late, Boko Haram is certainly still active and proved so in July of 2019. The people of Badu in Northeast Nigeria were honoring their fallen neighbors with a funeral service when a group of Boko Haram insurgents approached the village and opened fire with a multitude of AK-47s. The terrorists killed over 60 of the mourners, before being fought off by the people of Badu (Kennedy). The attack on the mourners was a reminder of the catastrophic power Boko Haram holds. Attacks like these across Nigeria are reminders of the kidnapping of the schoolgirls in 2014 and the attack that put Boko Haram on the map in the first place, the attack on the UN headquarters in Abuja in 2011.

While they have not been able to expand outside of the borders of Nigeria, Boko haram continues to be a thorn in the side of African governments and keeps the world’s greatest powers on their toes. Hesitance from the US and other powers to arm Nigeria and similar African nations has kept Boko Haram in the game, and without proper resistance, the Islamic state’s influence and Boko Haram’s reign of terror will continue (Smith).

                                                               

                                                                      Works Cited

"Nigeria: The War Against Boko Haram." allAfrica.com, 19 Feb. 2020, p. NA. Gale In Context: Global Issues, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A614229119/GIC?u=los42754&sid=GIC&xid=f7be72d9. Accessed 10 Mar. 2020.

Cook, David. “The Rise of Boko Haram in Nigeria.” Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, 15 Nov. 2017, ctc.usma.edu/the-rise-of-boko-haram-in-nigeria/.

Smith, Alexander. “What Is Boko Haram, the Militant Group Terrorizing Nigeria?” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 19 June 2018, www.nbcnews.com/storyline/smart-facts/what-boko-haram-militant-group-terrorizing-nigeria-n884146.

Kennedy, Merrit. “Suspected Boko Haram Attack On Nigerian Funeral Procession Kills At Least 60 People.” NPR, NPR, 29 July 2019, www.npr.org/2019/07/29/746219295/suspected-boko-haram-attack-on-nigerian-funeral-procession-kills-at-least-60-peo

Militants, Mapping. “MMP: Boko Haram.” FSI, Mar. 2018, cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/mappingmilitants/profiles/boko-haram.

The Message Within

The sheepskin coat in “Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress” is used as a symbol to show the boys’ desire to learn despite the lack of intellectual liberty.

Given to him by the villagers in the “Phoenix of the Sky”, the Narrator’s sheepskin coat is a short coat made of patches of wool varying in length and texture. Inside, the coat is bare hide and much of it is old and cracked. Because of the sentimental value of the coat, it is a prized possession of the narrator, and he keeps it close to himself. After reading Balzac’s Ursule Mirouët, the Narrator is so struck by Balzac and the freedom and lives of the characters that he feels he must copy down as much of the book as possible. He says, “It was the first time in my life that I had felt any desire to copy sentences from a book. I ransacked the room for paper, but all I could find was a few sheets of note paper intended for letters to our parents. I decided I would write directly onto the inside of my sheepskin coat.” (58) The Narrator having a “desire to copy sentences” shows that he sought a private space to escape the harsh reality of the Cultural Revolution. The lack of intellectual liberty drove the narrator to copy these passages onto the coat in order to revisit the story in private without risking his chances of escaping reeducation. 

Soon after, Luo takes the coat with him on his daily pilgrimage to the Little Seamstress’ house. After returning, he tells the Narrator, “When she’d finished reading she sat there quite still, open-mouthed. Your coat was resting on the flat of her hands, the way a sacred object lies in the plans of the pious.” (62) Similarly to the Narrator, the coat allows the Seamstress and escape from her reality into a world of expression and freedom. The author specifically chooses the words, “the way a sacred object lies in the plans of the pious” shows how important the coat truly is. The use of the word “pious” compares the coat to a religious object in the eyes of an extremely devout religious person shows the ultimate importance importance of it.