The Horrors of Boko Haram When people hear the word terrorism, fear becomes a primary emotion. There are many different kinds of terrorism that can occur. There are also many different kinds of groups that can use terrorism to influence others or get the results they seek. But to the person or group committing terrorism it isn’t terrorism in their eyes. In their eyes, it becomes a type of political or social protest. This is key in understanding the Boko Haram simply because they truly believed what they were doing was right and by doing the heinous activities they would get their point across. It is also important to see what theoretical perspectives the Boko Haram ties into and lastly how globalization and the global village fall into it as well. The Boko Haram is a Nigeria radical Islamist group that has caused numerous havoc throughout Africa. The groups official name is Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, which means “People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet’s Teachings.” Boko Haram was founded in 2002 by Mohammed Yusuf. The group was taken over by Abubakar Shekau when Yusuf was killed in 2009. Boko Haram promotes a “version of Islam which makes it "haram", or forbidden, for Muslims to take part in any political or social activity associated with Western society” (BBC News). This included voting in elections, wearing shirts and trousers or receiving a secular education. A main goal that the group pushed to achieve was to create an Islamic state. They have committed horrific acts in Africa by dropping bombs, assassinations, and abductions as well as numerous others. One of the things they were recognized for was the “use of gunmen on motorbikes, killing police, politicians and anyone who criticized it, including clerics from other Muslim traditions and Christian preachers” (BBC News). They are also known for abductions like mentioned earlier, the Boko Haram would kidnap women and children and recruiting men and boys into joining their cause. One of the worst kidnappings the Boko Haram did was on April 2014, “created international condemnation by abducting more than 200 schoolgirls from Chibok town in Borno state” (BBC News). The Boko Haram has killed numerous people, burned down homes, used suicide bombers, and taken territory over simply to prove their cause and try to get the outcome that they want. When talking about the Boko Haram, some theoretical perspectives arise that can help explain why they are committing the acts throughout Africa and help explain the group itself. The first theory that stuck out was the Strain Theory by Robert Merton. More specifically the Rebellion part of the Strain Theory because of the fact that the main point of that is the people or groups will rebel. They will rebel if they do not like how certain things are and try to change them to their beliefs anyway possible, most of the time violence is a huge part of that. Another theoretical perspective that relates with the Boko Haram is Symbolic Interactionism. The reason is because to the people involved in Boko Haram all the destruction, pain, and death they create is because of their goal and is all justified in their eyes. All that matters to the Boko Haram is getting their point across and accomplishing their mission to which, they will do whatever means necessary. These theories have a strong influence on the reasoning behind the Boko Haram and make it known what makes them the way they are. The Boko Haram was created for many different reasons but two things that had an impact on why it became as big as it did was due to globalization and the global village. Globalization is generally speaking when ideas are shared and spread by different cultures. Globalization played an important factor into the Boko Haram because the process of nations sharing cultures was what threatened the Boko Haram. The group did not want western culture to make an influence in their area and wanted to eliminate the threat and make it into what they wanted. They did not want Christianity to take over but wanted the whole area to be Muslim. But because of globalization that made it difficult since it was spreading at a fast rate. The Boko Haram reacted to erase this “western fraud” by using violence and create an Islamic state. The global village plays a role in the Boko Haram because it lets the entire world see what this radical group is doing to achieve its goal. Everyone is connected through technology and linking them all together. The Boko Haram can use this to its advantage as well by using technology to spread their message or even gather information from. In conclusion, globalization and the global village played a major role in the rising of the Boko Haram. It has actually given the Boko Haram more power by in a way giving them ammunition in a way to grow their cause and wreak havoc in order to obtain it. To sum up it up, the Boko Haram is a group that will continue to cause destruction for their cause because that is their way of seeking their goal. Terrorism can be a scary term but there is a reason behind it and why it happens in the first place. The Boko Haram can be tied to numerous theoretical perspectives and was shown. Lastly, globalization and the global village play a huge role in getting the Boko Haram’s message out to the world and actually caused the group to become what it is today.

Work Cited
"Who Are Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamists? - BBC News." BBC News. Farouk Chothia, 4 May 2015. Web. 06 Mar. 2016. <http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13809501>.

Work Cited
"Who Are Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamists? - BBC News." BBC News. Farouk Chothia, 4 May 2015. Web. 06 Mar. 2016. <http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13809501>.