HISTORY AND ORIGIN OF BOKO HARAM.....People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad[3] (Arabic: ﺟﻤﺎﻋﺔ ﺍﻫﻞ ﺍﻟﺴﻨﺔ ﻟﻠﺪﻋﻮﺓ ﻭﺍﻟﺠﻬﺎﺩ, Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati Wal-Jihad), better known by its Hausa name Boko Haram, is a terrorist organisation based in the north east of Nigeria, in the areas predominated by the Kanuri ethnic group.[4] Founded by Mohammed Yusuf in 2001[5] or 2002,[6] the organisation is a Muslim sect that seeks to "abolish the secular system and establish an Islamic state and "establish Sharia system of government in the country. The sect is referred to in Hausa as Boko Haram translated as "Western education is sacrilege or "Western education is a sin is divided into three factions, and in 2011, it was responsible for more than 450 killings in Nigeria.[7] 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. Moreover, it is still a matter of debate whether Boko Haram has any links to terror outfits outside Nigeria with some claiming one of its factions maintains links with terror groups in Somalia, North Africa [7] and Al-Qaeda. Etymology The group's official name is 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 (ﺟﻤﺎﻋﺔ ﺃﻫﻞ ﺍﻟﺴﻨﺔ ﻟﻠﺪﻋﻮﺓ ﻭﺍﻟﺠﻬﺎﺩ). In the town of Maiduguri, where the group was formed in 2002, the residents dubbed it Boko Haram. The term "Boko Haram" comes from the Hausa word boko meaning "western education" and the Arabic word haram figuratively meaning "sin" (literally, "forbidden"). Literally the name translated from Hausa, means western education is forbidden. The group earned this name due to its strong opposition to anything Western, which it sees as corrupting Muslims. Ideology Boko Haram is an indigenous Salafist group which only turned itself into a Salafist Jihadist group in 2009. It propagates a version of Islam that not only forbids any interaction with the Western World but it is also against the traditional Muslim establishment and the government of Nigeria. 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. [11] The members of the group do not interact with the local Muslim population[18] and have carried out assassinations in the past of any one who criticises it, including Muslim clerics.[15] In a 2009 BBC interview, Muhammad Yusuf, then leader of the group, rejected scientific explanation for natural phenomena, such as evaporations being the cause for rain, the theory of evolution, and the Earth being a sphere "[i]f it runs contrary to the teachings of Allah".[11] Before his death, Yusuf reiterated the group's objective of changing the current education system and rejecting democracy.[19] Criticism Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, the Niger State governor, has criticised the group saying "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.[20] The Sultan of Sokoto Sa'adu Abubakar has called the sect "anti-Islamic" and, as reported by the website AllAfrica.com, "an embarrassment to Islam."[21] History Background Main articles: Islam in Nigeria and Colonial Nigeria Before colonisation and subsequent annexation into the British Empire, the territory where Boko Haram is currently active, was a sovereign constitutional republic or sultanate with a majority Kanuri Muslim population. It was a Sultanate which was run according to the principles of the Constitution of Medina. The Bornu Empire which is also known as the Bornu Sultanate is quite distinct from the Sokoto Caliphate of the Hausa/Fulani. The Bornu Sultanate of the Kanuri emanated after the overthrow of an older one, the Kanem-Bornu Empire ruled by the Saifawa dynasty for over 2000 years. The Saifawa are the longest ruling dynasty in recorded history. After their conquest of the Bornu Sultanate in 1903, the British, who were predominately Christians, introduced a new education system which found little appeal among the local population,[15] increased dissatifaction and gave rise to many fundamentalists among the Kanuri and other peoples of the north east of Nigeria. One of the most famous such fundamentalists was Mohammed Marwa alias Maitatsine who was at the height of his notoriety during the 1970s and 1980s.