The Complex Dynamics of Religious Conflicts and the Boko Haram Sectarian Crisis in Nigeria

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiangi Michael
Keyword(s):  
Complex Dynamics ◽  
Boko Haram ◽  
Religious Conflicts

scholarly journals The Boko Haram Uprising and Islamic Revivalism in Nigeria

2010 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abimbola Adesoji
Keyword(s):  
Party Politics ◽  
Religious Conflict ◽  
Islamic Fundamentalism ◽  
Boko Haram ◽  
Internal Factors ◽  
Religious Ideology ◽  
Religious Conflicts ◽  
The World ◽  
Fertile Ground ◽  
Islamic Revivalism

From the 1980 Maitatsine uprising to the 2009 Boko Haram up-rising, Nigeria was bedevilled by ethno-religious conflicts with devastating human and material losses. But the Boko Haram uprising of July 2009 was significant in that it not only set a precedent, but also reinforced the attempts by Islamic conservative elements at imposing a variant of Islamic religious ideology on a secular state. Whereas the religious sensitivity of Nigerians provided fertile ground for the breeding of the Boko Haram sect, the sect's blossoming was also aided by the prevailing economic dislocation in Nigerian society, the advent of party politics (and the associated desperation of politicians for political power), and the ambivalence of some vocal Islamic leaders, who, though they did not actively embark on insurrection, either did nothing to stop it from fomenting, or only feebly condemned it. These internal factors coupled with growing Islamic fundamentalism around the world make a highly volatile Nigerian society prone to violence, as evidenced by the Boko Haram uprising. Given the approach of the Nigerian state to religious conflict, this violence may remain a recurring problem. This paper documents and analyses the Boko Haram uprising, as well as its links with the promotion of Islamic revivalism and the challenges it poses to the secularity of the Nigerian state.

scholarly journals ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM AND RELIGIOUS CONFLICTS IN NIGERIA: REFLECTIONS ON THE BOKO HARAM INSURGENCE

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-243
Author(s):  
Edlyne E. E. Anugwom
Keyword(s):  
The State ◽  
Economic Conditions ◽  
Economic Factors ◽  
Islamic Fundamentalism ◽  
Boko Haram ◽  
Religious Conflicts ◽  
Violent Extremism ◽  
History Of ◽  
Islamic Society ◽  
Socio Economic Factors

The paper examines the nature, operations and driving force behind the Boko Haram insurgence in Nigeria. It argues that while portending Islamic fundamentalist credentials, Boko Haram is also representative of the socio-economic aspirations of most ordinary citizens in the Northeast of Nigeria who are excluded from the socio-economic spheres in modern Nigeria. Boko Haram posits both the irrelevance and decadence of the state and the need for its violent overthrow and establishment of pure Islamic society. It argues that even though Boko Haram cannot be fully explained by socio-economic factors, extant structural and socio-economic conditions in the Northeast produce many frustrated and deprived young people who feed into the fundamentalist aspirations of Boko Haram. Thus, the coincidence between socio-economic conditions in the Northeast which compares unfavorably with other zones in Nigeria; the structural deficiencies of the state and a long history of Islamic fundamentalism creates the conducive atmosphere for violent extremism represented by Boko Haram.

scholarly journals NIGERIA: RELIGIOUS CONFLICT AND THE BOKO HARAM

2021 ◽  
pp. 3-20
Author(s):  
Michael Aondona CHIANGI ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Religious Beliefs ◽  
Religious Conflict ◽  
The Other ◽  
Boko Haram ◽  
Religious Conflicts ◽  
Political Advantage ◽  
Western Influences

"Religious conflicts have increased interfaith suspicion between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria with each group being determined to outshine the other in the propagation of its religious beliefs. In fact, even Islamic sect Boko Haram was formed on the belief in the superiority of Islam as a monotheistic religion and with a divine mandate to purge Islam of Western influences. This paper examines the complex issues surrounding the advent of the Boko Haram sect in Nigeria. It argues that religious conflict in Nigeria results from the propagation of radicalized exegeses and the use of religious sentiments for gain political advantage. Government’s failure to act decisively also accounts for religious conflict in Nigeria and the Boko Haram in particular. Keywords: Boko Haram, conflict, religion, ideology, violence, Islam."

scholarly journals Gender Based Terrorism and Armed Conflicts in Nigeria: The Chibok Girls’ Abduction and the Changing Narratives in Sambisa Forest

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 266-296
Author(s):  
Mike State Omilusi
Keyword(s):  
Armed Conflicts ◽  
Ethnic Conflicts ◽  
Ground Zero ◽  
Boko Haram ◽  
Religious Conflicts ◽  
Conflict Situations ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
History Of ◽  
Academic Review ◽  
Gender Based

Nigeria has had a chequered history of conflict situations such as civil war, inter and intra ethnic conflicts, religious conflicts among others. Northern Nigeria, in particular, has been greatly threatened by armed conflicts in recent years. Indeed, the remote northeast region is ground zero for many of the world’s most vexing problems, including an Islamic militant insurgency, crippling poverty, and declining development. In 2014, no fewer than 276 schoolgirls were abducted in Borno state by the Boko Haram sect that has ravaged the region since 2009. The audacious kidnapping brought the insurgency to world attention, triggering global outrage that galvanised support from many local and international actors. The girls have become a symbol of Nigeria’s brutal conflict. The failure of Nigeria's former government to act quickly to free the girls sparked a global Bring Back Our Girls movement. While the abduction sparked international outrage in a frantic bid to rescue the girls, some undercurrents were playing out locally that now deserve academic review. This essay is thus, an attempt to further interrogate the nature, nuances, shenanigan, politics and various rescue missions that characterise the Chibok girls’ abduction. It particularly reviews the activities of both local and international dimensions of #Bring Back Our Girls campaign within the socio-cultural and political contexts of the time while putting on spotlight issues of post-trauma facilities expected for the rescued girls and the fate of those still in captivity.     Recebido em: setembro/2018. Aprovado em: setembro/2019.

A Matter of Faith? Negotiations with Boko Haram in Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 435-462
Author(s):  
Mimmi Söderberg Kovacs
Keyword(s):  
Conflict Resolution ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Armed Conflicts ◽  
Boko Haram ◽  
Religious Conflicts ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Depth Study ◽  
The Government ◽  
Negotiation Literature ◽  
Empirical Material

Abstract Why are armed conflicts involving warring parties with an Islamist agenda more difficult to resolve through negotiations? In previous research, two main explanations have been put forward; one that highlight the religious element of the parties’ conflict issue and one that emphasis the organizational character of these conflicts, in particular their transnational nature. Yet we still do not know which of these explanations that carry the most explanatory power. The purpose of this article is to test the empirical relevance of these theories through an in-depth study of five negotiation attempts between the government of Nigeria and the group known as Boko Haram during the time period 2011 to 2016. By doing so, this article both addresses one of the key theoretical debates in the scholarly field of religious conflicts and conflict resolution, and presents novel empirical material on a case not well covered in previous negotiation literature.

The Integral Nature of Ethnicity and Religion during Northern Ireland’s Troubles

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 9-18
Author(s):  
Peter Crowley
Keyword(s):  
Religious Identity ◽  
Historical Narratives ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Political Rights ◽  
The Troubles ◽  
Religious Conflicts ◽  
The World ◽  
Sectarian Conflict ◽  
Civil And Political Rights ◽  
Religious Other

Northern Ireland’s Troubles conflict, like many complex conflicts through the world, has often been conceived as considerably motivated by religious differences. This paper demonstrates that religion was often integrated into an ethno-religious identity that fueled sectarian conflict between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland during the Troubles period. Instead of being a religious-based conflict, the conflict derived from historical divides of power, land ownership, and civil and political rights in Ireland over several centuries. It relies on 12 interviews, six Protestants and six Catholics, to measure their use of religious references when referring to their religious other. The paper concludes that in the overwhelming majority of cases, both groups did not use religious references, supporting the hypothesis on the integrated nature of ethnicity and religion during the Troubles. It offers grounding for looking into the complex nature of sectarian and seemingly religious conflicts throughout the world, including cases in which religion acts as more of a veneer to deeply rooted identities and historical narratives.

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