ha·ram adjective \hä-ˈräm\
Definition: forbidden by Islamic law <haram foods>
Arabic ḥarām
First known use: 1979
Wikipedia has an article about them:
Boko Haram: Congregation of the People of Tradition for Proselytism and Jihad
The Congregation of the People of Tradition for Proselytism and Jihad, known by its Hausa name Boko Haram is a group and militant organization based in the northeast of Nigeria, northern Cameroon, and Niger. Founded by Mohammed Yusuf in 2002, the organization seeks to establish a "pure" Islamic state ruled by shari'a, putting a stop to what it deems Westernization. The group is known for attacking Christians, Muslims, and government targets, bombing churches, mosques, schools and police stations, and kidnapping Western tourists, but has also assassinated members of the Islamic establishment who have condemned their operations over the years. Violence linked to the Boko Haram insurgency has resulted in an estimated 10,000 deaths between 2002 and 2013.
The group has officially adopted the name "the Congregation of the People of Tradition for Proselytism and Jihad" or "The Group of the People of Sunnah for Preaching and Struggle" are translations of the Arabic: Jamā'at ahl as-sunnah li-d-da'wa wa-l-jihād (جماعة أهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد).
In the town of Maiduguri, where the group was formed, the residents dubbed it Boko Haram. The term Boko Haram comes from the Hausa word boko, originally derived from a Hausa word with meanings such as "fraud" and "inauthenticity", and the Arabic word haram figuratively meaning "sin" (literally, "forbidden"). Loosely translated, the name could mean "western education is sinful", which would symbolize its strong opposition to anything Western, which it sees as corrupting Muslims. Locals who speak the Hausa language are unsure what it actually means.
Literally speaking, the name may be meant to convey the message that "bogus education is sinful". Dr. Ahmad Murtada of the Islamic Studies Department at the University of Bayero, Kano has noted in his research of the group that the name of the movement should not be understood literally from the Hausa, but rather as meaning "traversing the Western system of education is haram".
The group has officially adopted the name "the Congregation of the People of Tradition for Proselytism and Jihad" or "The Group of the People of Sunnah for Preaching and Struggle" are translations of the Arabic: Jamā'at ahl as-sunnah li-d-da'wa wa-l-jihād (جماعة أهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد).
In the town of Maiduguri, where the group was formed, the residents dubbed it Boko Haram. The term Boko Haram comes from the Hausa word boko, originally derived from a Hausa word with meanings such as "fraud" and "inauthenticity", and the Arabic word haram figuratively meaning "sin" (literally, "forbidden"). Loosely translated, the name could mean "western education is sinful", which would symbolize its strong opposition to anything Western, which it sees as corrupting Muslims. Locals who speak the Hausa language are unsure what it actually means.
Literally speaking, the name may be meant to convey the message that "bogus education is sinful". Dr. Ahmad Murtada of the Islamic Studies Department at the University of Bayero, Kano has noted in his research of the group that the name of the movement should not be understood literally from the Hausa, but rather as meaning "traversing the Western system of education is haram".
The group exerts influence in the northeastern Nigerian states of Borno, Adamawa, Kaduna, Bauchi, Yobe, and Kano. In this region, a state of emergency has been declared. The group does not have a clear structure or evident chain of command, and has been called "diffuse", with a "cell-like structure" facilitating factions and splits. It is reportedly divided into three factions with a splinter group known as Ansaru. The group's main leader is Abubakar Shekau. Its weapons expert, second-in-command, and arms manufacturer was Momodu Bama.
Whether it has links to jihadist groups outside Nigeria is disputed. According to one US military commander, Boko Haram is probably linked to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), but others have found no evidence of international material support, and attacks by the group on international targets have so far been limited. On 13 November 2013 the United States government designated the group a terrorist organization.
Many of the group's senior radicals were reportedly partially inspired by the late Islamic preacher known as Maitatsine. Others believe that the group is motivated by inter-ethnic disputes as much as by religion, and that its founder Yusuf believed that a campaign of “ethnic cleansing” was being waged by Plateau State governor Jonah Jang against the Hausa and Fulani people. Amnesty International has accused the Nigerian government of human rights abuses after 950 suspected Boko Haram militants died in detention facilities run by Nigeria's military Joint Task Force in the first half of 2013. The conflicts have left around ninety thousand people displaced. Human Rights Watch states that Boko Haram uses child soldiers, including twelve-year-olds.
Leaders:
Abubakar Shekau
Dan Hajia (POW)
Abba †
Abatcha Flatari †
Momodu Bama †
Mohammed Yusuf †
Rico says you'll note that four guys are dead, and one's a POW. As soon as our SEALs can take out Shekau, it, along with its ally, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, will hopefully implode. (But what do you call over nine hundred Boko Haram dead? A good start...) But another Rico-like translation from the Hausa would be 'a sinful fraud', which is what they're perpetrating... (And if the locals are unsure about its meaning, Rico's is as good as theirs.)
No comments:
Post a Comment