Articles

Nigeria: from Maitatsine to Boko Haram

Vostok/Oriens '2014, №4

 
The religious situation in Nigeria is characterized by noticeable tension which comes as a result of the growing influence of Muslim fundamentalism in the country after the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran. The manifestations of religious conflicts in Nigeria include mass demonstrations, armed clashes and riots involving thousands of people. Religious unrest has been accompanied by numerous human casualties, destructions of places of worship and public buildings, and violent attacks on symbols of “foreign” religions. Nigerian fundamentalists have already fallen under the influence of global Islamism, the role of which is constantly growing that means that in the future they will receive political, military, financial and moral support from the outside.

Keywords: Nigeria, Maitatsine, Boko Haram, religious conflicts, Islamic fundamentalism, terrorism

Pages: С. 70–82