The atrocities of the Nigerian Islamic extremist organization known as Boko Haram have finally become more publicized. The mass murders of civilians and the kidnapping, rape, and enslavement of girls are the hallmarks of this brutal group.
As noted in a BBC review, the group’s actual name is Jama’atu Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, which means “People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet’s Teaching and Jihad.” Boko Haram is a nickname in the local Hausa language which roughly translates to “Western Education is forbidden.” The organization was founded in 2002, and launched military operations in 2009. Its leader is Abubakar Shekau.
It adheres to the fundamentalist Moslem concept of treating women as chattel, and to the practice of slavery which has been a trademark of extreme Islam even as the rest of the world abandoned the abhorrent practice over the centuries. Boko Haram spokesmen have referred to the kidnapped girls as slaves.
In keeping with a central tenet of Islamic fundamentalism, Boko Haram is absolutely intolerant of other faiths. The organization’s major goal is the overthrow of Nigeria’s government and its replacement with an Islamic state.
CNN notes that for reasons that are as yet unclear, Hillary Clinton, while secretary of State, refused to label Boko Haram as a terrorist organization. Her failure to do so was criticized by Congress at the time. That failure may have allowed the organization to grow to the strength it currently exercises. Clinton’s successor, John Kerry, reversed Clinton’s decision and did attach the label to the group.