The group has assassinated Muslims/ethnic Northerners who have either criticized the group or tried to hinder its activities, such as warning the authorities about the presence of a car bomb.
toyin
toyin
On Mon, May 7, 2012 at 5:25 AM, OLUWATOYIN ADEPOJU <adifada1@gmail.com> wrote:
COMPLETE POSTThere has been a range of open responses from Northern Nigeria to the Boko Haram Islamic terrorists.
A very relevant question from Kenneth Harrow.
There is some sympathy for them, as evident from a Northern Muslims group that issuing a communique informing Boko Haram that Boko Haram's commitment to their beliefs are evident from the terrorist group's campaign and that the Northern Muslims group in question identifies with Boko Haram in their sense of being wronged by the government but that the group should relent "a bit" from its activities on account of the negative effect on the North.
A number of prominent Northern figures have consistently called for dialogue with the group, insisting that a military initiative alone will not succeed.
No less a person than the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria has stated that the unrest in the North is due to economic inadequacies stemming from inadequate Federal government allocation while some states in the South where Nigeria's oil comes from have more money from the government than they know how to judiciously use. This call from Sanusi preceded and most likely inspired a demand from Northern governors for a larger share of Federal government allocation.
There have also been voices from the North decrying what they describe as the militarization of parts of Northern Nigeria and related abuse of citizens on account of the presence of soldiers drafted there to address the terrorist problem.
All in all it is accurate to describe a good number of the prominent voices coming from Northern Nigeria as more ambivalent than decisively critical of the terrorist group. Along with this ambivalence, however, is an increasing expression of the deadly cost of this uprising to the region.
On the two Northern Nigerian listserves I belong to, however, the mood seems more one of embarrassment, possibly confusion and sheer dis-identification with whatever Boko Haram represents.
I get the impression that deadly as the group is to Muslims and Christians, it is not possible to realistically disengage attitudes to the group from the twin colors of religion and ethnicity with which it has worked hard to describe itself as identified with Northern Nigeria.
I think this double identification is a central reason why dislodging the group is taking so long, along with the group's enigmatic but real intertwining with the a stream of opinion in Northern Nigeria that is disconnected from the rest of Nigeria, and which possibly achieves such a connection through having a Northerner in power as head of state or President. This last perspective is more speculative than the others, particularly since I have had little person to person contact with ethnic Northerners- and the few I have had being very positive- and am interpreting the region from outside using the information sources of listserves, before and after the crisis, to news reports.
At the same time, Muslim leaders have made a tour of Christian communities and churches, pledging their support for inter-religious harmony and condemning any effort to harm the Christians. Muslim groups also provided a human shield for Christians and vice versa during the January fuel subsidy demonstrations.
Apologies for any omissions and/or bias in this summation, particularly since I have not read all the reports on this crisis.
toyin
toyinOn Mon, May 7, 2012 at 4:56 AM, OLUWATOYIN ADEPOJU <adifada1@gmail.com> wrote:
A very relevant question from Kenneth Harrow.
There is some sympathy for them, as evident from the Northern Muslims group that made a communique informing Boko Haram that Boko Haram's commitment to their beliefs are evident from the terrorist group's campaign and that the Northern Muslims group in question identifies with Boko Haram in their sense of being wronged by the government but that the group should relent "a bit" from its work on account of the negative effect on the North.
A number of prominent Notthern figures have consistely the need for dialogue with the group, insisting that a milatry solution is inmade
toyinOn Sun, May 6, 2012 at 4:53 PM, kenneth harrow <harrow@msu.edu> wrote:
well, my question was, basically, how is boko haram viewed by the majority of the population in the north. the aum shinrikyo movement was a fringe movement, ditto for the mighican militia. mcveigh represented a few dozen people; there was vague right-wing support among a larger number, but i am from michigan and my sense is that 99% or 99.9% regarded him as not representing anything they would support, esp in his use of bombs against a building with people inside.
anyway, is boko haram regarded as a fringe movement of crackpots up north, or is there an aggrieved segment of the population that sees them as a militant wing of their own political group? it is hard to believe they could continue so long, across so wide a swath, if they were as miniscule as the aum shinrikyo or michigan militia movements. and it isn't just size that i am asking about, but how their views stand with relation to the mainstream views. is there sympathy for them, and how widespread is that sympathy?
ken
On 5/6/12 5:06 AM, John Edward Philips wrote:
You don't need an aggrieved population to spawn religious terrorism. Look at the Aum Shinrikyo movement in Japan or Tim McVeigh in the U.S. Aum Shinrikyo would see to have much in common with Boko Haram, especially in a charismatic preacher attracting young, educated but unemployed youth. It just arose in a Buddhist milieu rather than a Muslim one. The danger is if people think that Boko Haram represents Nigerian Muslims, or at least northern Muslims. That could turn into a self-fulfilling accusation. I didn't hear anyone in Japan saying Aum Shinrikyo represented Buddhism, or anyone in the US saying Tim McVeigh was typical of Christians.
On May 3, 2012, at 12:20 PM, kenneth harrow wrote:
how much is boko haram sustained by the population up north? if the people feel aggrieved, it can't be starved by money, but by addressing the grievances. the other islamist movements you mentioned arose in a context in which an invasion or a repressive state created an aggrieved population.
even the lra arose from such circumstances, and not out of the deranged delusions of kony or his seer predecessor. people listen to such figures or support movements when they are aggrieved. i hear a good deal of rhetoric and anger directed against muslims up north; no doubt they hear the same thing.
ken
John Edward Philips<http://human.cc.hirosaki-u.ac.jp/philips/>
International Society, College of Humanities, Hirosaki University
"Homo sum; humani nihil a me alienum puto." -Terentius Afer
<http://www.boydell.co.uk/www.urpress.com/80462561.HTM>
--kenneth w. harrow
distinguished professor of english
michigan state university
department of english
east lansing, mi 48824-1036
ph. 517 803 8839
harrow@msu.edu
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the "USA-Africa Dialogue Series" moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin.
For current archives, visit http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
For previous archives, visit http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue- unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the "USA-Africa Dialogue Series" moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin.
For current archives, visit http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
For previous archives, visit http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue-
unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
No comments:
Post a Comment