Boko Haram

Boko Haram From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Boko Haram People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad | Participant in the Nigerian Sharia conflict| Active| 2002–| Ideology| Islamism Islamic fundamentalism Oppose man-made law Support strict sharia law| Leaders| Mohammed Yusuf Abubakar Shekau[1] Mallam Sanni Umaru[2][3][not in citation given]Abu Qaqa – spokesman[4] Abu Zaid – spokesman[3]| Headquarters| Kanamma, Nigeria|Area  of operations| Northern Nigeria| Opponents| Nigerian State| Battles/wars| Nigerian Sharia conflict 2009 Nigerian sectarian violence| Map of Nigerian states that currently implement Shariah (in green) People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad[5] (Arabic: , Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati Wal-Jihad), better known by its Hausa name Boko Haram, is a jihadist terrorist organization based in the northeast of Nigeria. 6] It is an Islamist movement which strongly opposes man-made laws. Founded by Mohammed Yusuf in 2001[7] or 2002,[8] the organisation is a Muslim sect that seeks to abolish the secular system of government and establish sharia law in the country. [9][10] The group is also known for attacking Christian churches. [11] The movement, whose name in the Hausa language, Boko Haram, translates as â€Å"Western education is sacrilege†[9] or â€Å"a sin†,[12] is divided into three factions, and in 2011, was responsible for more than 450 killings in Nigeria. 9] Though the group first became known internationally following sectarian violence in Nigeria in 2009, it does not have a clear structure or evident chain of command. [13] Moreover, it is still a matter of debate whether Boko Haram has links to terror outfits outside Nigeria and its fighters have frequently clashed with Nigeria's central government. [9] Contents * 1 Etymology * 2 Ideology * 2. 1 Criticism * 3 History * 3. 1 Background * 3. 2 Origin * 3. 3 The beginning of violence * 3. 4 Reemergence * 4 Assessment * 5 Funding * 6 See also * 7 References * 8 External links| EtymologyThe group has adopted its official name to be People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad, which is the English translation of Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad ( ). In the town of Maiduguri, where the group was formed, the residents dubbed it Boko Haram. The term â€Å"Boko Haram† comes from the Hausa word boko meaning â€Å"western education† and the Arabic word haram figuratively meaning â€Å"sin† (literally, â€Å"forbidden†). [14][15][16][17] The name, loosely translated from Hausa, means â€Å"western education is forbidden†.The group earned this name due to its strong opposition to anything Western, which it sees as corrupting Muslims. [18] Ideology Boko Haram is an indigenous Salafist group which only turned itself into a Salafist Jihadist group in 2009. [6] It propagat es that not only interaction with the Western World is forbidden, but it is also against the Muslim establishment and the government of Nigeria. [19] The group publicly extols its ideology despite the fact that its founder and former leader Muhammad Yusuf was himself a highly educated man who lived a lavish life and drove a Mercedes Benz. 14] The members of the group do not interact with the local Muslim population[20] and have carried out assassinations in the past of any one who criticises it, including Muslim clerics. [18] In a 2009 BBC interview, Muhammad Yusuf, then leader of the group, stated his belief that the concept of a spherical Earth is contrary to Islamic teaching and should be rejected, along with Darwinian evolution and the concept of rain originating from water evaporated by the sun. [21] Before his death, Yusuf reiterated the group's objective of changing the current education system and rejecting democracy. 22] Nigerian academic Hussain Zakaria told BBC News that the controversial cleric had a graduate education, spoke proficient English, lived a lavish lifestyle and drove a Mercedes-Benz. [21] In the wake of the 2009 crackdown on its members and its subsequent reemergence, the growing frequency and geographical range of attacks attributed to Boko Haram have led some political and religious leaders in the north to the conclusion that the group has now expanded beyond its original religious composition to include not only Islamic militants, but criminal elements and disgruntled politicians as well. Boko Haram has become a franchise that anyone can buy into. It's something like a Bermuda Triangle,† said Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima. [23] Criticism Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, the Niger State governor, has criticised the group saying â€Å"Islam is known to be a religion of peace and does not condone violence and crime in any form† and Boko Haram doesn't represent Islam. [24] The Sultan of Sokoto Sa'adu Abubakar, the s piritual leader of Nigerian Muslims, has called the sect â€Å"anti-Islamic† and, as reported by the website AllAfrica. om, â€Å"an embarrassment to Islam. â€Å"[25] The Coalition of Muslim Clerics in Nigeria (CMCN) have called on the Boko Haram to disarm and embrace peace. [26] The Islamic Circle of North America,[27] the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada,[28] The Muslim Council of Britain,[29] the Organization of Islamic Cooperation[30] and the Council on American Islamic Relations[31] have all condemned the group. History Background Main articles: Islam in Nigeria and Colonial NigeriaBefore colonisation and subsequent annexation into the British Empire, the Bornu Empire ruled the territory where Boko Haram is currently active. It was a sovereign sultanate run according to the principles of the Constitution of Medina, with a majority Kanuri Muslim population. The Bornu Sultanate emerged after the overthrow of the Kanem-Bornu Empire ruled by the Saifawa dynasty for over 2000 years. The Bornu Sultanate of the Kanuri is distinct from the Sokoto Caliphate of the Hausa/Fulani established in 1802 by the military conquest of Usman dan Fodio. 6] Both the Bornu Sultanate and Sokoto Caliphate came under control of the British in 1903. However, due to activities of early Christian missionaries who used Western education as a tool for evangelism, it is viewed with suspicion by the local population. [18] Increased dissatisfaction gave rise to many fundamentalists among the Kanuri and other peoples of northeast Nigeria. One of the most famous such fundamentalists was Mohammed Marwa, also known as Maitatsine, who was at the height of his notoriety during the 1970s and 1980s.He was sent into exile by the British authorities, he refused to believe Mohammed was the Prophet and instigated riots in the country which resulted in the deaths of thousands of people. Some analysts view Boko Haram as an extension of the Maitatsine riots. [32] Origin The group was founded b y Mohammed Yusuf in 2002 in the city of Maiduguri with the aim of establishing a Shari'a government in Borno State under former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff. [7][32] He established a religious complex that included a mosque and a school where many poor families from across Nigeria and from neighboring countries enrolled their children. 18] The centre had ulterior political goals and soon it was also working as a recruiting ground for future jihadis to fight the state. [18] The group includes members who come from neighbouring Chad and Niger and speak only Arabic. [33] In 2004 the complex was relocated to Yusuf's home state of Yobe in the village Kanamma near the Niger border. [22] Human Rights Watch researcher Eric Guttschuss told IRIN News that Yusuf successfully attracted followers from unemployed youth â€Å"by speaking out against police and political corruption. Abdulkarim Mohammed, a researcher on Boko Haram, added that violent uprisings in Nigeria are ultimately due to â€Å"t he fallout of frustration with corruption and the attendant social malaise of poverty and unemployment. â€Å"[34] The beginning of violence Timeline of incidents| 7 September 2010| Bauchi prison break[35]| 31 December 2010| December 2010 Abuja attack[36]| 22 April 2011| Boko Haram frees 14 prisoners during a jailbreak in Yola, Adamawa State[37]| 29 May 2011| May 2011 northern Nigeria bombings[38]| 6 June 2011| The group claims responsibility for the 2011 Abuja police headquarters bombing[39][40]| 26 June 2011| Bombing attack on a beer garden in Maiduguri, leaving 25 dead and 12 injured[41][42]| 10 July 2011| Bombing at the All Christian Fellowship Church in Suleja, Niger State[43]| 11 July 2011| The University of Maiduguri temperory closes down its campus citing security concerns[44]| 12 August 2011| Prominent Muslim Cleric Liman Bana is shot dead by Boko Haram[45]| 26 August 2011| 2011 Abuja bombing[46]| November 2011| 2011 Damaturu attacks[40][47][48]| 25 December 2011| December 2011 Nigeria bombings[49]| 5–6 January 2012| January 2012 Nigeria attacks[50]| 20 January 2012| January 2012 Kano bombings[51]| 28 January 2012| Nigerian army says it killed 11 Boko Haram insurgents[52]| 8 February 2012| Boko Haram claims responsibility for a suicide bombing at the army headquarters in Kaduna. [53]| 16 February 2012| Another prison break staged in central Nigeria; 119 prisoners are released, one warder killed. 54]| 8 March 2012| During a British hostage rescue attempt to free Italian engineer Franco Lamolinara and Briton Christopher McManus, abducted in 2011 by a splinter group Boko Haram, both hostages were killed. [55]| The group conducted its operations more or less peacefully during the first seven years of its existence[6] That changed in 2009 when the Nigerian government launched an investigation into the group's activities following reports that its members were arming themselves. 56] Prior to that the government reportedly repeatedly ignored warnings about the increasingly militant character of the organisation, including that of a military officer. [56] When the government came into action, several members of the group were arrested in Bauchi, sparking deadly clashes with Nigerian security forces which led to the deaths of an estimated 700 people. During the fighting with the security forces Boko Haram fighters reportedly â€Å"used fuel-laden motorcycles† and â€Å"bows with poison arrows† to attack a police station. [57] The group's founder and then leader Mohammed Yusuf was killed during this time while in police custody. 58][59][60] After Yusuf's killing, a new leader emerged whose identity was not known at the time. [61] Reemergence After the killing of M. Yusuf, the group carried out its first terrorist attack in Borno in January 2010. It resulted in the killing of four people. [62] Since then, the violence has only escalated in terms of both frequency and intensity. In January 2012, Abubakar Shekau, a form er deputy to Yusuf, appeared in a video posted on YouTube. According to Reuters, Shekau took control of the group after Yusuf's death in 2009. [1] Authorities had previously believed that Shekau died during the violence in 2009. 63] By early 2012, the group was responsible for over 900 deaths. [64] Assessment Boko Haram is considered a major potential terrorist threat affecting Nigeria and other countries, and U. S. officials believe it is potentially allied with Al Qaeda. U. S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) Commander General Carter F. Ham stated in September 2011 that three African terrorist groups – Shabab of Somalia, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb across the Sahel region, and Boko Haram – â€Å"have very explicitly and publicly voiced an intent to target Westerners, and the U.S. specifically† and that he was concerned with â€Å"the voiced intent of the three organizations to more closely collaborate and synchronize their efforts. â€Å"[65] General Ham reitera ted his concern after the Christmas Day 2011 bombings of churches in Nigeria: â€Å"I remain greatly concerned about their stated intent to connect with Al Qaeda senior leadership, most likely through Al Qaeda in the lands of the Islamic Maghreb. †[65] The US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence urged the Obama Administration and U.S. intelligence community in November 2011 to focus on Boko Haram as a potential threat to United States territory. [66] Nigeria's National Security Adviser, General Owoye Andrew Azazi, has been working with other African governments, European and Middle Eastern governments, and the U. S. government to build cooperation against Boko Haram. He met in 2010 with then-CIA Director Leon Panetta, and in 2011 with AFRICOM Commander General Ham, and other U. S. fficials, and was in the United States when the congressional panel was preparing its report on Boko Haram. He participated in a CIA conference at about the sam e time. [67] After the Christmas 2011 bombings carried out by Boko Haram, President Barack Obama's office issued a statement that confirmed that the U. S. and Nigeria were cooperating at a senior level against the terrorist group. [68] Funding A spokesman of Boko Haram claimed that Kano state governor Ibrahim Shekarau and Bauchi state governor Isa Yuguda has paid them monthly. [69][70]

Hibernation and Food Essay

When the season is changing and it is getting colder, you know that winter is coming. Animals, which are able to migrate , fly to the south to spend the winter in warmer places. What if you are an animal who is not able to fly to sunny Spain during the cold winter months? You gather a lot of nuts, find a nice den to lie in, curl up into a ball and sleep through the winter, but is that all there is to it? The common name for this event is hibernation, but scientists call it torpor or deep sleep. It is a way for animals to live in an area where during several months of the year the conditions are inhabitable for them due to food scarcity or extreme temperature change. When the conditions improve and the temperatures are up to their living standard, they can continue with their normal activities . To be able to understand completely what hibernation is it is necessary to explain the three different types of torpor. The three different types of torpor are long-term torpor or hibernation, summer torpor or aestivation and daily torpor . Hibernation or long-term torpor is an animal’s ability to adjust to cold winter temperatures and the short supply of food during these months. The animal does this by lowering its body temperature to a minimal in order to preserve energy and to slow down its metabolism . The body temperature of most animals will degrease to as low as 1˚ or 2˚C. Before the animal can start hibernating, he needs to collect food. The storage of food is essential for the animal to survive the deep sleep. This allows them to remain alive for a very long time on small supplies of energy stored in the body fat or from the food, they hoarded in their burrow. Some animals, like squirrels, do not sleep the whole time. They awaken every week or two for a couple of hours to warm up to about 37˚C so they are able to maintain their burrow. The reheating of the body costs a lot of energy. To do that multiple times during the hibernation they store extra food . It also gives certain animals a chance to raise their young during the winter months in order to protect them from other animals and the harsh climate. Examples of hibernating animals are bears, bats, squirrels, hamsters, racoons and badgers. Aestivation or summer torpor is very similar to hibernation, but in a hot or dry season of the year which does not necessarily mean during the summer. It is characterised by reduced metabolism and idleness, which allows animals to survive during increasing temperatures and limited water supplies . The animal lowers its metabolism and goes into a state of dormancy . Because this state happens during hot or dry season, the storage of water is essential. They also store food but not in the same quantities as during hibernation. Examples of aestivating animals are toads, frogs, tortoises and prairie dogs. Daily torpor is a way for animals with high metabolism to be able to preserve their feeding patterns. A hummingbird uses so much energy when it is trying to hover next to a flower that it needs the torpor to be able to feed again. Animals, which need daily torpor, use a lot of energy so they need to be able to feed as soon as they come out of their torpor. During the hours when they cannot feed, torpor makes it possible for them to live on stored energy. The animal goes into daily torpor without preparation and is able to do this by lowering its own body temperature. Even if there is not a shortage of food and the animal has enough energy left it still goes into its daily torpor. It has become build in with its own routine . Examples of animals that go into daily torpor are skunks, shrews, deer mice and gerbils. If it is a bear who needs to survive the winter and welcome the warm summer or if it is a kangaroo mouse who needs to survive the Sahara desert, torpor is necessary for animals to be able to stay alive. That means in cold surroundings but also during the heat of the deserts or just to survive at all. The three different types of torpor show that animals are able to adept and remain alive in all sorts of climates and conditions.

Dictatorship and the Neoliberal Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dictatorship and the Neoliberal Markets - Essay Example More to this, social programs in the country have been abandoned, and most of the industries run by government previously have been privatized. The ejido lands in Mexico, which refer to land given to the community, or a group of people, under the agrarian reform have also been taken over. Neoliberalism in Mexico can be traced back to the Mexican crisis of 1982. The country, under the leadership of President Jose Luis Portillo (1976-1982) borrowed heavily from external sources, with an intention of investing in railways, nuclear power, oil pipelines, freeways, and the steel industry. The borrowings were done against the oil revenues of the country, given that previous years had shown a constant increase in the oil prices. However, the prices of oil began to deteriorate in 1982, due to overproduction, and OPEC price cuts. More to these, world interest rates increased, followed by devaluation in the Mexican peso, leading to a financial crisis in Mexico. Following these events, a debt moratorium was declared in 1982. These compelled the country to accept worldwide support from the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, the US Federal reserve, and the US department of the treasury. However, they offered conditional support, which required Mexico to adopt neoliberal poli cies (Thomas, James, William, & Browning-Akien, 4). Adoption of neoliberal policies required the Mexican government to cut on its spending. This led to a reduction in the subsidies given to members of the country to promote production. Consequently, the farmers faced difficulties in production, which worsened their economic ability. More to this, reduced government spending decreased the resources allocated to important sectors of the economy. These include the health sector, education, and welfare sectors. Consequently, the rates of unemployment increased, thus making Mexicans poorer. Accessing health and education services became problematic, hence

Design Research Report Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Design Research Report - Case Study Example In examining different aspects that play a significant role in determining the choice to relocate to a new stadium, or the option to renovate the existing stadium, there are greater possibilities of gaining a fresh understanding of how such decisions can positively affect both the teams in question, performance-wise, and the surrounding community. This research will provide an opportunity to establish the growing consumer interests and the need to make changes within the stadium, so as to continue providing maximum customer experience for the fans and maximum results to the corporate sponsors. The researchers shall relay the information to the executive team so that they may implement issues arising from this report to detriment of the stadium. Tastes and preferences change with time, and developments that occurred ten years ago might become completely and slightly out of taste with current demand. However, Turner Field stadium is still largely considered to be a state of the art for the purpose of baseball, though it constructed ten years ago. Changes in fans tastes coupled with increased and high customer spending prior to match have a necessitated a relook into the stadium so that necessary changes be conducted to capture their changing taste as well as tap into their spending outside the stadium. Further, there are other stakeholders such as corporate sponsors, employees, partners amongst others who are vital to the growth of the outfit, and the varying interests from a diverse range of stakeholders’ needs to be carefully planned for and collected and thereafter an inference drawn. In addition, the report should address the key concerns of the executive team of the Turner Field Stadium which include; whether the stadium and its auxiliary features satisfy its key stakeholders, and the most important features valued by the key stakeholders. This report shall attempt to

The Economic Impact of the Loughor Marine Lake Development Essay

The Economic Impact of the Loughor Marine Lake Development - Essay Example The tidal lake waterfront would create opportunities for leisure activities such as sailing and boating.   Generation of electricity for the use in the development area is also included as a part of the master plan.  Ã‚   The project is expected to act as a catalyst for the economic development of the region benefiting Llanelli and Swansea as well.     The employment opportunities arising out of the project will benefit the community in Swansea and the surrounding areas such as Port Talbot, Neath, Llanelli, parts of Lliw Valley and the District of Dinefwr. The mobility on account of tourism, leisure, and other related activities would create an excellent climate for the business and trade development in the region as a whole in the long term. The long-term jobs created will be in Manufacturing and Commercial sector.   The second major sector will be Services covering retail, wholesale, distribution, personal services, tourism, and leisure.   It is proposed to construct 250,000 Sq. feet area for commercial purposes in the development project. The consortium’s interest in obtaining grants from Europe under the European Regional Development Fund for which tourism is seen as a prime means of economic regeneration.   Weaknesses and shortcomings of the project are also analyzed in this paper.   The study also covers recommendations for a comprehensive strategy to develop the region as an economic hub and a tourism spot of national importance and recommended a program of implementation.   The study analyses and reports the project in terms of its scope, limitations or shortcomings, and arrive at general conclusions and give recommendations for a comprehensive strategy for the development of the project and implementation of the program.   The Master Plan of the Marine Lake Development consists of two independent and related projects. The first one is related to infrastructure development.

Is current uk law relevant , when applied to cloud computin Essay

Is current uk law relevant , when applied to cloud computin - Essay Example void legal responsibility for security of information and endow their clients with full responsibility of retaining safety based on information they upload, the principals of the UK legislation are on the contrary to this. This Data Protection Act provides that anyone with the intention of or responsible for using data has to adhere to data protection principles recommending: fair and lawful use; use for limited, and specifically stated purposes; use in an adequate, relevant and not excessive way; accurate use; data not kept for longer than is absolutely necessary; handled in accordance to the people’s data protection rights; kept safe and secure; and, not transferred outside the UK without adequate protection. In short therefore, this Act ensures that Data controllers are bound by the law to give rights to data subjects, i.e.: the right of access to their personal data; the right to stop information processing techniques that are likely to cause substantial distress or damage; the authority to obstruct auto generated decisions; and the right to object direct marketing by any institution thereof (Data Protection Act, 1998). From a wider perspective, the European Data Protection Law (which also concerned with electronic data), stipulates very stringent controls on the entire steps involved in processing of personal data/ information, and its transfer to anywhere outside European Economic Area. Because of the uncertainties over how and where cloud vendor will probably store the uploaded data, there is a lot more potential that need to be put to ensure that customers are in breach of such laws. Therefore, a number of regulations influencing cloud computing are linked to data security. Whatever processes are involved in processing of data, and the consequent location where the data is processed is so critical. Hence, regarding data processing, the European law necessitates that appropriate techniques and organizational measures are actively taken to protect

Universities and how they are funded PowerPoint Presentation

Universities and how they are funded - PowerPoint Presentation Example The same applies to several Master’s programmes for EU-EEA, Swiss and Finnish students. Erasmus Mundus programmes attract fees for non-EU students, but eligible to Erasmus Mundus Scholarship by application. In general European Union students have the same rights in another EU State. Thus, European Union citizens are involuntarily entitled to education in other European Union’s member states: therefore should not be paying more tuition fees and they must always be able to access a residence permit. Despite European Union financial crisis, its government has managed to present multi annual financial framework for 2014 to 2020 to its Education system that proposes to increase education and training funds by 70%. This is equivalent to 17 billion Euros to support cooperation between institutions, transnational learning mobility, implementation of education policies in the Member States and modernization of education. Alzheimer Europe, 2009, August 21, â€Å"The four main approaches,† Retrieved July 5, 2012, from Alzheimer Europe: http://www.alzheimer-europe.org/Research/Understanding-dementia-research/Types-of-research/The-four-main-approachesAtwater, M., Freeman, B., Butler, B. & Draper-Morris, J. (2010). A case study of science teacher candidates’ understandings and actions related to the culturally responsive teaching of ‘Other’ students. International Journal of Environmental & Science Education , 5 (3),