Boko Haram ; A Global Phenomenon Social Sciences Term Paper (Term Paper Sample)

Boko Haram; a Global Phenomenon
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BOKO HARAM; A GLOBAL PHENOMENON
Every social event has causes; some are political, economic, historical events, or others. The issue of Boko Haram has caused division amongst various scholars. Some argue that it is a locally sponsored movement while others accrue its origins to the al-Qaida movementCITATION Jac17 \p 1 \l 2057 (Zenn, 2017, p. 1). The first view is supported by scholars such as Alexander Thurston, Marc-Antoine Pérouse de Montclos, and Kyari Muhammed, who viewed Boko haram as a product of a compendium of factors such as religious views, poverty, political negligence, etc.CITATION Jac17 \p 1 \l 2057 (Zenn, 2017, p. 1). On the other hand, some viewed it as a quest for a jihad in Nigeria sponsored by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb’s (AQIM)CITATION Jac17 \p 1 \l 2057 (Zenn, 2017, p. 1). Jacob Zenn supported the latter view in his article titled, “Demystifying al-Qaida in Nigeria: Cases from Boko Haram’s Founding’’ which was met with numerous scrutiny as scholars accused him of ignoring crucial perspectivesCITATION Ada18 \p 1 \l 2057 (Higazi et al.., 2018, p. 1).  Boko Haram is a global phenomenon as depicted in its origin, leadership, and Somalia affiliations.
Origins
There are many theories about the origin of Boko haram. Some schools of thought assume that it began as a peaceful organization in 2002 while some linked them directly as descendants from the al-Qaida organizationCITATION Jac17 \p 2 \l 2057 (Zenn, 2017, p. 2). There has been evidence to suggest that they originated from al-Qaida. In 2004, they were a religious group of roughly 200-1000 people, educated and participating in military training near the Nigeria-Niger borderCITATION Jac17 \p 2 \l 2057 (Zenn, 2017, p. 2). They planned to launch a jihad and create an Islamic caliphate in the mold of the Afghanistan Taliban. One of their founding leaders, Yusuf Ahmed, was born in Saudi Arabia. A random Boko haram member, Ibrahim Haruna met him to train some members with AQIM’s predecessor, the Salafi Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC)CITATION Jac17 \p 2 \l 2057 (Zenn, 2017, p. 2). Haruna was born in Saudi Arabia. He trained in Afghanistan and planned with Pakistani terrorists to launch an attack on Nigeria before one of his messengers was intercepted. All this proves that Boko Haram is not a locally sponsored movement. They have affiliations with similar movements in the Middle East who have helped in their recruitment and training.