The Ideology of Boko Haram: An Analytical Study of Its Origin, Development and Impact on the Muslim World

Abstract

Boko Haram is a contemporary Islamic movement that emerged in Northern Nigeria in the early 2000s. Though it began as a peaceful organization with the aim of propagating the true teachings of Islam in the face of rising societal ills, it was noted for consistently expressing extreme ideological views on issues of aqeedah and general Islamic principles. In 2009, however, in reaction to the considerable opposition to its ideology, the movement changed course and adopted a violent strategy towards achieving its goals. Though the violence continued unabated after 2009, the study only focused on the years 2001 to 2009, which covered the formative and consolidation stages of Boko Haram’s ideology. While existing literature explained Boko Haram's dynamics from the perspectives of economic deprivation theory, political alienation theory, and corruption theory, this study attempted to fill the gap by providing a comprehensive analysis of the theological issues that underpin Boko Haram's ideology and its impact on the Muslim world. The study used qualitative data gathering methods from both primary and secondary sources, including video and audio recordings of interviews, debates, and lectures, as well as books, journals, and articles. The study heavily relied on the content analysis approach to examine the textual materials and video/audio recordings of Boko Haram's ideology. It also used a historical development approach to examine several written works on the doctrine and methodology of some classical and modern Islamic sects with extreme ideologies. The study result indicate that Boko Haram’s ideology was formulated from theological concerns about Muslims' participation in Western education, government employment, democracy, and democratic rule. According to the research, Boko Haram claimed that western education is forbidden because it contains some aspects of knowledge that conflict with Islamic faith and cannot be removed or separated under the Western educational system. They also believe that democracy, democratic rules, and government employment are forbidden because they all entailed ruling by or obedience to man-made laws, which conflicted with the fundamental principles of Islamic faith that conferred absolute legislative rights on Allah alone. After detailed analysis of the key evidence used by Boko Haram to articulate its ideology, the study concluded that the ideology was founded on deep-rooted ignorance and flawed methodology, making what is permissible forbidden. Similarly, while the study agrees with Boko Haram's textual proof in rejecting democracy and democratic rules, it utterly disagrees with Boko Haram's overall perspective, which declares western education and government work to be forbidden. The study also demonstrates that the ideology had a negative impact on the Muslim Ummah, the image of Islam, and da'wah activities, and in addition, recommended practical steps to forestall the creation of similar ideological groups in the future. However, while other factors may have contributed to the rise of Boko Haram, the study shows that the religious (theological) aspect is the most important theme that was responsible for the formation and growth of Boko Haram's ideology. Keywords: Ideology, Boko Haram, forbidden, Western education, ignorance, flawed methodology, deprivation theory.