Who took the Girls?
#Bringbackourgirls
On April 14, 2014 more than 240 girls were kidnapped from a secondary school in the northwestern Nigeria. These kidnappings represent the imposition of a group of Islamic militants that consider women as slaves. The kidnappers threaten to sell the girls as sex slaves.
| Image japantoday.com |
These acts were perpetrated by the Islamic Fundamentalist group called BOKO HARAM. According to the reports this group of terrorists was founded in 2002 by Mohammed Yusuf, the aim of the organization is to establish the sharia not only as a religious code but as a code of conduct governing all aspects of life.
Boko Haram promotes a version of Islam which makes it "haram", or forbidden, for Muslims to take part in any political or social activity associated with Western society. Its followers are said to be influenced by the Koranic phrase which says: "Anyone who is not governed by what Allah has revealed is among the transgressors". Boko Haram promotes a version of Islam which makes it "haram", or forbidden, for Muslims to take part in any political or social activity associated with Western society. (Chothia, F. 2014)
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Besides creating Boko Haram, Mohammed Yusuf founded a religious complex that had a mosque and a school where children’s from poor Muslim families could attend. But this initiative was used by the leader as a recruiting ground.
Thus through the years this terrorist organization has increased power and scope in Nigeria. This situation worsened after 2009 when the government captured and murdered to Mohammed Yusuf in an attempt to exterminate the group. After a series of attacks in different cities of the country the authorities presume that the group has been in contact with other terrorist organization, this way increased the reach of their attacks.
| Image theguardian.com |
In May 2013, Boko Haram begins the kidnappings as retaliation against the security authorities. These and other measures have been taken by this organization to achieve what have called ethnic cleansing (2).
According to the news a large part of northern and central Nigeria is now at the mercy of intensified attacks of this organization, and the group seems to be embarking on a new phase of its campaign against the Nigerian state - piling further pressure on the government of President Goodluck Jonathan (Lister, T. 2014).
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| The Hidden Transcript, 2012. |
Reactions to the various attacks but mainly the abduction of the girls caused a global movement ranging from peaceful protests in Nigeria and others parts of the world to a campaign by the social network twitter call as # Bringbackourgirls launched by the first lady of the United States Michelle Obama as a symbol of solidarity with people who call for the rescue of the girls.
| Image TWITTER/@FLOTUS/ASSOCIATED PRESS |
VIDEO:
1. Chothia, F. (2014, May 20) Who are Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamists. BBC Africa. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13809501
2. Lister, T. (2014, May 21) Devastating Nigeria attacks show twisted ambition of Boko Haram. CNN. Retrieved from http://edition.cnn.com/2014/05/21/world/africa/nigeria-boko-haram-reach/index.html?iid=article_sidebar
