The official name of the group is Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-jihad, which in Arabic means “people committed to the propagation of the Prophet’s Teaching and Jihad.” Boko Haram is an Hausa version of the name which it got based on its strong opposition to Western Education. The group was formed in Maiduguri in 2002. The residents of the area soon named the group Boko Haram, loosely translated from the local Hausa Language. This means Western Education is forbidden.


The group sees Western Education as corrupting muslims. Boko originally meant fake but came to signify western, while haram means forbidden. The term “Boko haram” comes from the Hausa word “boko” meaning western or non-islamic education, and the Arabic word “haram” meaning sin or forbidden. In their view any education not based on Islamic teachings or culture is fake or western and therefore, is forbidden.


The Arabic word haram refers to any act forbidden by Allah. Anything that is considered haram remains prohibited and attracts punishment no matter how good the intention. The punishment is not limited to the person who engages in the forbidden act. Others who support the person who engages in the sinful act are equally punished.

It is forbidden for Muslims to take part in any political or social activity associated with western culture. This includes voting in elections, wearing shirts and trousers or receiving a circular education. The group sees Nigeria as a state run by unbelievers.


Boko Haram is a branch of Islamic state of Iraq and the Levant {ISIL} or Islamis State in Iraq and Syria {ISIS}. It is active in Libya, Nigeria, Iraq and Syria. The group was started in the early years of the Iraq war and associated itself with al-Qaeda in 2004 . In March 2014, it finally pledged formal allegiance to ISIL. ISIS was composed of different insurgent groups.

Northern elites are the real boko haram