Boko Haram
May 10, 2010
The kidnapping of girls at a boarding school by Boko Haram in Nigeria has stirred the collective outrage of much of the world with the exception of Islamic counties who have remained conspicuously silent. Cries of Allahu Akbar (God is Great) followed by ungodly acts of kidnapping and enslaving girls is an affront to Islam. Is Boko Haram’s (meaning - opposition to western style of education) supported by Islamic religious orthodoxy? I urge local Muslims to clarify this issue. The imposition of Sariah law (favored by Boko Haram), which denigrates women and favors stoning and decapitation of limbs for relatively minor offenses - also needs vigorous debate.
The Nigerian Government and its military have rightly been castigated for their ineptness and incompetence. After a hiatus of 3 weeks of inaction the Nigerian military made the bogus claim that 107 girls had been freed. The news media was largely indifferent to the plight of the girls filling the airwaves with mindless theories on the missing MH370 airliner.
The wife of Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathon, showed great insensitivity to the plight of the missing girls by accusing local Nigerian women activists of adversely impacting her husband’s re-election prospects.
I implore local Muslims to raise your voices in support of girl’s education and revulsion of Boko Haram. The greatest threat to Islamic extremism is girl’s education. Please donate generously to any of the following organizations – Camfed.org, EdnaHospital.org, mothersdaymovement.org.
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