Glossary
Important words pertaining to history and culture of the Boko Haram militant group
A
Abuja- The capital city of Nigeria: A Catholic church near Abuja was bombed, killing 42 worshippers in December 2011, and another bombing in the city itself on Christmas Day 2011 killed 40.
Allah- Arabic word meaning ‘God’, is the one God of Islamic faith
B
Boko- Arabic word meaning “inauthentic” or “fake,” figuratively refers to distaste Western education as the well-known part of the insult ilimen boko
Boko Haram- An Islamist militant group, translates from Maiduguri’s Hausa language as “Western education is a sin”
C
Colonialism- A nation’s control over or governing over a dependent country. Negative outlook on Western education began when the Sokoto caliphate fell under British control in 1903 and went through a period of Westernization
H
Haram- Arabic word meaning “prohibited” or “sinful”
Hausa- Local language of Maiduguri, where the Boko Haram originally had its headquarters. It is this language that the phrase Boko Haram comes from
I
Ilimen Boko- Origin for “Boko” in Boko Haram, means “fake education” and was used to insult the negative influence of Western education in early 1900s colonialism
Islam- A religion based on the beliefs that Allah is the one God, Muhammed is his prophet, and that the Qur’an is the final, pure word of Allah
J
Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad- Official name of the Boko Haram group, which in Arabic means “People of the Sunnah for Preaching and Jihad Group.” For obvious reasons, Boko Haram is more often used by the media
M
Maiduguri- Northeastern city in Nigeria that held the original headquarters of the Boko Haram; locals there gave the group its name in their local Hausa language
Markaz- Mosque in Maiduguri that originally served as headquarters for Yusuf’s movement, built in 2002
Militant- Can be an individual or group (such as the Boko Haram) who aggressively support(s) a social, religious or political cause to the point of violence
Muslim- A person of Islamic faith
N
Nigeria- A large and fairly wealthy country in northwest Africa, where population is largely Muslim and very religious, but still not considered “pure” and “true” by the Boko Haram, which has led to many attacks on government and citizens alike
Q
Qur’an (Koran)- The central religious text of the Islamic faith, with strict rules that most Muslims simply view as guidelines, whereas the Boko Haram group views as law, and believes it to be the only piece of written work free from corruption from the modern world
S
Abubakar Shekau- Current leader of the Boko Haram, who appears sporadically in the organization’s videotaped messages, and whose arrest would reward his captors $7 Million from the U.S. State Department
Sectarianism- Violence, hatred or discrimination of any kind against subdivisions of a group; the Boko Haram is infamous for its sectarian violence against Muslims who accept Western culture and education.
Sunnah- The ideal Islamic way of life, based on interpretations of the Qur’an and teachings of Muhammed
Y
Mohammed Yusuf- Founded the Boko Haram in 2002 and set up the group’s own religious complex in Maiduguri, killed by Nigerian security forces in July 2009
Important words pertaining to history and culture of the Boko Haram militant group
A
Abuja- The capital city of Nigeria: A Catholic church near Abuja was bombed, killing 42 worshippers in December 2011, and another bombing in the city itself on Christmas Day 2011 killed 40.
Allah- Arabic word meaning ‘God’, is the one God of Islamic faith
B
Boko- Arabic word meaning “inauthentic” or “fake,” figuratively refers to distaste Western education as the well-known part of the insult ilimen boko
Boko Haram- An Islamist militant group, translates from Maiduguri’s Hausa language as “Western education is a sin”
C
Colonialism- A nation’s control over or governing over a dependent country. Negative outlook on Western education began when the Sokoto caliphate fell under British control in 1903 and went through a period of Westernization
H
Haram- Arabic word meaning “prohibited” or “sinful”
Hausa- Local language of Maiduguri, where the Boko Haram originally had its headquarters. It is this language that the phrase Boko Haram comes from
I
Ilimen Boko- Origin for “Boko” in Boko Haram, means “fake education” and was used to insult the negative influence of Western education in early 1900s colonialism
Islam- A religion based on the beliefs that Allah is the one God, Muhammed is his prophet, and that the Qur’an is the final, pure word of Allah
J
Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad- Official name of the Boko Haram group, which in Arabic means “People of the Sunnah for Preaching and Jihad Group.” For obvious reasons, Boko Haram is more often used by the media
M
Maiduguri- Northeastern city in Nigeria that held the original headquarters of the Boko Haram; locals there gave the group its name in their local Hausa language
Markaz- Mosque in Maiduguri that originally served as headquarters for Yusuf’s movement, built in 2002
Militant- Can be an individual or group (such as the Boko Haram) who aggressively support(s) a social, religious or political cause to the point of violence
Muslim- A person of Islamic faith
N
Nigeria- A large and fairly wealthy country in northwest Africa, where population is largely Muslim and very religious, but still not considered “pure” and “true” by the Boko Haram, which has led to many attacks on government and citizens alike
Q
Qur’an (Koran)- The central religious text of the Islamic faith, with strict rules that most Muslims simply view as guidelines, whereas the Boko Haram group views as law, and believes it to be the only piece of written work free from corruption from the modern world
S
Abubakar Shekau- Current leader of the Boko Haram, who appears sporadically in the organization’s videotaped messages, and whose arrest would reward his captors $7 Million from the U.S. State Department
Sectarianism- Violence, hatred or discrimination of any kind against subdivisions of a group; the Boko Haram is infamous for its sectarian violence against Muslims who accept Western culture and education.
Sunnah- The ideal Islamic way of life, based on interpretations of the Qur’an and teachings of Muhammed
Y
Mohammed Yusuf- Founded the Boko Haram in 2002 and set up the group’s own religious complex in Maiduguri, killed by Nigerian security forces in July 2009