Boko Haram: Historical Development and Religious-Political Discourses Boko Haram: Tarihsel Gelişimi ve Dinî-Siyasi Söylemleri

Başaran R. E.

Ankara Universitesi Ilahiyat Fakultesi Dergisi, cilt.66, sa.1, ss.461-488, 2025 (Scopus)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 66 Sayı: 1
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.33227/auifd.1602736
  • Dergi Adı: Ankara Universitesi Ilahiyat Fakultesi Dergisi
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus, ATLA Religion Database, Central & Eastern European Academic Source (CEEAS), Index Islamicus, Directory of Open Access Journals
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.461-488
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Boko Haram, History of Sects, Jihad, Nigeria, Salaf
  • Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli Üniversitesi Adresli: Hayır

Özet

Boko Haram was established in Nigeria in 2002 under the leadership of Muhammad Yusuf (d. 2009) with the name of Jamā‘at Ahl al-Sunna Li’l-Da‘wa wa’l-Jihād. While saying our religion is Islam, our faith is the faith of the Prophet and his companions, and our way is jihad, Yusuf criticizes Western culture, education and values claiming they are a new religious construct that is un-Islamic and even anti-Islamic. To Boko Haram leaders, serving in an apostate government is haram and any Muslim who do not fight against the constitutional taghut (tyrant) is considered to be an infidel. Boko Haram emphasizes the necessity of reviving the Islamic caliphate founded by Usman dan Fodio (d. 1817), saying that every Muslim must engage in war for this cause. It has gained notoriety in the area for its terrorist attacks rather than as a preaching organization. It views Muslims who do not fight alongside it against the government as unbelievers and views their murder as a form of jihad. This study will talk about Boko Haram's historical development and examine its religious-political discourses. Through a systematic analysis of the religious discourses employed by Boko Haram's leaders and spokespersons, this article examines the organization’s radicalization process in Nigeria while contributing to the existing literature in this field.