A New 'Taliban' Threatening Nigeria
by MAEGAN CARBERRY, Contributing Writer
While they appear to have no links to Afghanistan, the BBC reports that a new group called the ‘Taliban’ is emerging in Nigeria and could pose a threat to community-building efforts in the country and region. From Joe Boyle’s report:
“Some analysts believe they took inspiration from the radical Afghans, others say the name is more a term of ridicule used by people in Maiduguri, the area where they were founded. The group’s other name, Boko Haram, means ‘Western education is a sin’ and is another title used by local people to refer to the group.”
With a similar mission to Afghanistan’s Taliban to emphasize a strict, extreme interpretation of Islam, Nigerians are concerned about the group’s possible growth. Boyle describes it as formed by a collection of “disaffected youth—university students and jobless graduates among them.” Additionally he speaks with local journalists who say security forces may not be addressing the tension adequately:
"Amenu Abu Bakka, a journalist covering the area for the AFP news agency, says it is widely believed that the authorities have been reluctant to deal with the militants because some of them come from rich families with connections to the government.
‘People believe the government didn’t want to crack down on these people because their parents would get angry,’ he says. ‘But now it is becoming a monster, the government has realised it has made a mistake and the earlier they deal with these people, the better.’"
The group’s attacks are primarily aimed at disrupting what they see as anti-Islamic teachings, such as human evolution, a spherical earth, and atmospheric precipitation. Yeah, they believe the Earth is flat.
- Posted by Causecast
Related causes: Community, Human Rights
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