ABSTRACT
This
research work was to find out the effects of Boko Haram Ideology on Islamic
Education in Nigeria. A Case Study of Higher Institutions in Lagos State
It
was discovered that the Boko Haram Ideology does not represent the Islamic
ideology. It was also discovered that Islam encourages useful knowledge and
education regardless of its origin.
This
study suggested that the government should do all within its ability to avoid
the emergence of violent religious groups in Nigeria.
TABLE OF CONTENT
Pages
Title
page
i
Certification
ii
Dedication
iii
Acknowledgement
iv
Abstract
v
Table of content vi
CHAPTER ONE
1.1
Introduction 1
1.2
Statement of the problems 8
1.3
Purpose of the study 10
1.4
Research questions 10
1.5
Research hypothesis 11
1.6
Significance of the study 11
1.7
Scope of the study
12
CHAPTER TWO
2.1
Introduction 13
2.2
Concept of Islamic Education 14
2.3
Western Educational systems in Nigeria 15
2.4
Islamic Educational system in Nigeria 18
2.5
Factors inhibiting the development of Islamic education in Nigeria 21
2.6
The way forward for Islamic education in Nigeria 25
2.7
The challenges facing Islamic education in Nigeria 28
2.8
The Vision of Islamic education 30
2.9
The emergence of Boko Haram 34
2.10
The Boko Haram uprising: Building on precedents 36
2.11
Fall-out of Boko Haram uprising 39
2.12
Lesson from Boko Haram uprising 46
2.13
Conclusion 51
CHAPTER THREE
3.1
Introduction 53
3.2
Research Design 54
3.3
Population of the study 54
3.4
Sample and Sampling Technique 55
3.5
Research Instruments 55
3.6
Validity of Research Instruments 56
3.7
Reliability of research Instruments 56
3.8
Method of Data Analysis 56
CHAPTER FOUR
Analysis
of data, results and interpretation 58
CHAPTER FIVE
5.1
Summary of finding 88
5.2
Conclusion 94
5.3
Recommendations 96
References
99
Appendix
I: STUDENTS’ QUESTIONNAIRE 106
Appendix II: STAFF
QUESTIONNAIRE 108
CHAPTER
ONE
1.1
BACKGROUND
TO THE STUDY
During
the colonial period in Nigeria, some local Muslim scholars saw western
education as means to propagate Christianity and convert Muslim children. It is
therefore not surprising if any Islamic group such as Boko-Haram is alleged to
be averse to the acquisition of western education for the same reason advanced
by the Muslim clerics and parents during the colonial period. It has been noted
that western education has currently made available does not adequately cater
for the spiritual needs of its recipients.
The first Western schools were established by the Christian
missionaries. The first school was founded in Badagry in 1843 by the Methodist
Church. The missionaries established schools to facilitate the training of the
clergy and as an instrument of conversion. They stress the knowledge of the
Bible, the ability to sing the hymns, recitation of catechism and of course
competences in oral and written communication. Emphasis was on teaching
Christianity more than anything else. Anything taught was linked to the Holy
Writ. The period 1845-1882 is considered a period of exclusive Christian
missionary education since the government of the day paid little or no
attention to the educational needs of the populace. (Fafunwa 1982, 52).
The
word “Boko” in classical Hausa language literally means deception or deceits as
used in Hausa term “amaryar Boko” which means “fake bride” or literally “bride
of deception”, This sometimes features in the traditional Hausa wedding where a
grandmother usually dresses up like the bride as part of a practical joke
played on the groom, “Haram” is a Hausa word adopted from Arabic. It means
Islamically unacceptable, forbidden or prohibited. While “Boko Haram” may
therefore be interpreted as meaning that the Western secular education is
Islamically prohibited, it could be also be interpreted to mean that evangelism
deceptively camouflaged as Western Education is Islamically unacceptable.
Others consider the word “Boko” as a corruption for the English word “book”
which was associated with Western Education.
The
group calls itself’ Ahl us as-Sunnah wa al-jama’a ala Minhaj as-salaf’ which
means “People of the way of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the
community of Muslims, in line with the earliest generation of Muslims”, This
name has a positive meaning that is acceptable to all Muslims. The name “Boko
Haram” has its origin in media and public/community coinage. The word “Boko” in
Hausa is popularly used to refer to the formal public or private Educational system
in Nigeria, also referred to as Western secular Education. The word is also
used to refer to Western Education in all its ramifications, along with
anything it is associated with.
The
current state of insecurity in Nigeria can be traced to the British control of
the country since 1903, as there has been resistance among some northern
leaders to Western Education. Since then, the actions of several separatist
movements have been set against this state of affairs, while simultaneously shaking
the country’s integrity, and thus increasing the security problems currently
faced by the country. An organization named the Sahaba group, was created in
1995 and led by Abubakar Lawan when the
leader left to study at the University of Medina, the leadership was conceded
to Mohammed Yusuf, who was a young and versatile man. Yusuf, a charismatic
Muslim cleric, changed the doctrine of the sect in 2002 and formed Boko Haram. Boko
Haram is now an Islamic sect, based largely in the northeast part of Nigeria.
The group is based on a fundamentalist ideology, which rejects the legitimacy
of the Nigerian state, insists on an Islamic state, and rejects Western Education.
In
fact, the name, Boko Haram, given to the group by residents in the northeastern
city of Maiduguri, where the group has its headquarters, loosely translated
means “Western education is forbidden.” The group’s official name is Jama’atu
Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal – Jihad, which in Arabic means “People Committed to
the Propagation of the Prophet’s Teachings and Jihad.” Boko Haram promotes the
doctrine, which forbids it members to take part in any political or social activity
associated with Western culture. Yusuf has described his group as non –
militants – a group of youths who are bent on upholding the words of Allah. Yet
the group has also stated, and shown, their willingness to die for an Islamic state.
It is this dedication that makes this
group such a threat to the entire country.
Until recently, the Boko Haram’s trademark has
been the use of gunmen on motorbikes. From gunmen on motorbikes, their
activities recently have escalated to another level. It seems that of all the separatist
groups operating in Nigeria, the Boko Haram is the most daring. It is this
intensifying and growth that make the group a possible developing threat, and
makes it harder to predict what the group will achieve in the future.
Since
2009, the sect has gradually increased the sphere and range of their activities
and the police have been the main target of the group, but they have also
bombed churches and assassinated Islamic clerics. These assaults started in
2009 when Boko Haram carried out attacks on police stations and other
Government buildings in Maiduguri, which eventually led to shoot –outs in the
streets. Hundreds of Boko Haram supporters were killed and thousands of
residents fled the city. When the Nigerian security forces finally seized the
group’s headquarters, capturing its fighters and killing its leader Muhammad Yusuf,
this round of violence ended. In spite of the loss of leadership, another
uprising followed, with the loss of more civilian lives. Since then, Boko Haram
has been involved in more bombings, assassinations and armed attacks, targeting
police officers, Government officials and religious leaders in the north of the
country.
In
a 2009 BBC interview, Yusuf stated that the belief that the world is a sphere
is contrary to Islam and should be rejected, along with Darwinism and the
theory that rain comes from water evaporated by the sun. Tell Magazine aptly
captured the ideology and philosophy of Boko Haram sect thus: “The mission of
the sect was to establish an Islamic state where ‘orthodox Islam’ is practiced.
Orthodox Islam according to him (Mohammed Yusuf, leader of the sect) frowns at
Western Education and working in the civil service because it is sinful. Hence,
for their aim to be achieved, all institutions represented by government
including security agencies like police, military and other uniformed personnel
should be crushed” (Tell, August 10, 2009, 9.34)
This
is because students especially in tertiary institutions in Borno and Yobe
states like the University of Maiduguri, Ramat Polytechnic Maiduguri. Federal
Polytechnic Damaturu and others who constitute their members withdrew from
school, tore their certificates and joined the group (Tell, August 10, 2009, p.
34).
In
the state of Yobe, fighters reportedly “used fuel laden motorcycles” and “bows
with poison arrows” to attack a police station. On 30th July,
allegations were made that Yusuf himself was killed by Nigerian security forces
after being taken into custody. In January 2010, the group struck again in the
Nigerian state of Borno, Killing four people in Dala Alemderi ward in Maiduguri
metropolis. On September 7, 2010, Boko Haram freed over 700 inmates from a
prison in Bauchi State. In December 2010, Boko Haram was blamed for a market
bombing, following which 92 of its members were arrested by police. On March
29, police “thwarted a plot to bomb an {ANPP} election rally” in Maiduguri, Borno
State. The threat was blamed on Boko Haram. On April 1 (the day before the
original date of Nigeria’s legislative elections), suspected Boko Haram members
attacked a police station in Bauchi. On April 9, a polling center in Maiduguri
was bombed. On April 15, the Maiduguri office of the Independent National
Electoral Commission was bombed, and several people were shot in a separate
incident on the same day. Authorities suspected Boko Haram. On April 22, Boko
Haram killed a Muslim cleric and ambushed several police officers in Maiduguri.
On April 22, Boko Haram freed 14 prisoners during a jailbreak in Yola Adamawa
State. On Tuesday February 8, 2011, Boko
Haram gave conditions for peace. The radicals demanded that the Borno State
Governor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, should step down from office with immediate
effect and also allow members to reclaim their mosque in Maiduguri, the capital
of Borno State. On 9th May 2011 Boko Haram rejected an offer for
amnesty made by the governor-elect of Borno state, Kashim Shettima. Boko Haram
was blamed for a series of bombings in northern Nigeria on May 29, 2011 that
left 15 dead. On June 17, 2011, the group claimed responsibility for a bombing
attack on the police force headquarters in Abuja that occurred the previous
day. Officials believed that the attack was the first suicide bombing in
Nigeria’s history and that it specifically targeted Police Inspector-General
Hafiz Ringim. On June 26, 2011, the sect carried out a bombing attack on a beer
garden in Maiduguri according to officials and witnesses. Militants on
motorcycles threw explosives into the drinking spot, killing about 25 people. On
June 27, 2011, another bombing in Maiduguri attributed to the group killed at
least two girls and wounded three customs officials. On July 03, 2011, a
bombing in a beer garden in Maiduguri attributed to the group killed at least
twenty people.
At
this juncture, it is pertinent to establish whether or not the doctrines and
Teachings of Boko Haram is in consonance with the ideals which Islam as a
religion stands to promote. First and foremost, Islamic education is a system
of education, which entails ideological concepts of expounding the very nature
of life (here and after), and prescribing the position of man and his role on
earth. In arriving at this definition this researcher is influenced by the
opinion of Qutub (1997) from which we can infer that Islamic education includes
the doctrine and the pragmatic set –up which emanate from and premised on the
ideological frame work in question entails ethics and its sustaining power,
politics and its characteristics, social order and its values, economic precept
and its philosophy and internalism in its ramification.
Semantically,
the word Islam is a combination of three Arabic letters sin-lam-Mime. The
verbal noun is Salam which means peace. This shows the primary meaning of Islam
as a religion that aims at establishing peace between the creator (Allah) and
His creatures, as well as to establish and main peace among the creatures of
Allah.
Islam
was introduced through Education as clearly shown in the first revelation to
the holy prophet Muhammad (saw). It was revealed as a command to the prophet,
to read in the name of Allah. This shows clearly that knowledge and Education
are essential and paramount to the religion of Islam. The revelation says:
Read in the name of your
Lord,
He who created, He
created man
From a blood clot
Read, And your Lord is
the most Generous,
Who taught by the pen,
taught man that he knew not (Q96: 1-5)
Islam
has from its inception placed a high premium on Education and has enjoyed a
long and rich intellectual tradition. Knowledge (ilm) occupies a significant
position within Islam, as evidenced by the more than 800 references to it in
Islam’s most revered book, the Quran. The importance of education is repeatedly
emphasized in the Quran with frequent injunctions such as “God will exalt those
of you believe and those who have knowledge to high degrees” Q58:11, “O my
Lord! Increase me in knowledge” Q20:14, and “As God has taught him, so let him
write” Q2:282. Such verses provide a forceful stimulus for the Islamic
Community to strive for education and learning.
Ideology is another important concept in this
task. Advanced Learner’s dictionary defines ideology as a set of ideas that an
economic or political system is based on. It is a set of beliefs especially one
held by a particular group that influences the way people behave. Ideology is a
body of ideas characteristics of a particular individual, group or culture, the
assertions, theories and aims that constitute a political, social and economic
program.
We
can therefore infer from this premise that the ideology of a single group
cannot be attributed to Islam as a whole.There is therefore a distinction
between Boko Haram ideology and Islamic ideology. It is therefore clear that
since Islam promotes all knowledge that is beneficial and frowns at all forms
of knowledge that is harmful to either the individual or the society then, Boko
Haram ideology of referring to all forms of knowledge emanating from western
world as prohibited and forbidden is therefore baseless.
This
is why the goal of Islamic Education as derived from its Ideology and
philosophy according to Oladosu; 2003 includes the following;
To
train Muslims to become obedient and righteous servants of Allah. Education
should turn the natural inclination of Muslims in the right direction and
enable them mentally, physically, culturally, morally and practically to become
grateful servants of Allah.
•
To inculcate morality into the mind of the
students.
•
To serve as a means of wiping out moral
decadence in our society
•
To give birth to citizens who will be
useful to themselves, their family and the society at large which is the
general aim of education.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Tell Magazine aptly
captured the ideology and philosophy of Boko Haram sect thus “The mission of
the sect was to establish an Islamic state where orthodox Islam is practiced.
Orthodox Islam according to him (Mohammed Yusuf the leader of the sect) frowns
at western Education and working in the civil service because it is sinful.
Hence for their aim to be achieved, all institutions represented by government
including security agencies like police, military and other uniformed personnel
should be crushed “(Tell, August 10, 2009, P.34)
“And this is the reason why students especially in tertiary institutions
in Borno and Yobe State like the University of Maiduguri, Ramat Polytechnic
Maiduguri, Federal Polytechnic Damaturu and others who constitute their members
withdrew from school, tore their certificate and joined the group for Quranic
lessons and preaching” (Tell, August 10, 2009, p.34).
Boko Haram opposes not
only Western Education but Western culture and modern sciences as. In a 2009
BBC interview, Yusuf stated that the belief that the world is a sphere is
contrary to Islam and should be rejected, along with Darwinism and the theory
that rain comes from water evaporated by the sun. In July 2009 the Nigerian
police started investigating the group following reports that the group was
arming itself, several leaders were arrested in Bauchi, Sparkling deadly
clashes with Nigerian security forces which led to the deaths of an estimated
700 people.
On April 15, the
Maiduguri office of the Independent National Electoral Commission was bombed,
and several people were shot in a separate incident on the same day.
Authorities suspected Boko Haram on April 20, Boko Haram killed a Muslim cleric
and ambushed several police officers in Maiduguri. On June, 17, 2011, the group
claimed responsibility for bombing attack on the police force headquarters in Abuja
that occurred the previous day. Officials believed that the attack was the
first suicide bombing in Nigeria’s history and that it specifically targeted
police Inspector General Hafiz Ringim.
The
question that arises here is that does Islamic Education encourage violence and
destruction carried out by Boko Haram group? And what are the effects of their
actions on Islamic Education in Nigeria? This leaves a vacuum to be filled by
this research work.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The
general purpose of this study is to find out the effects of Boko Haram ideology
on Islamic Education in Nigeria.
Specifically,
this study is set to achieve the following objectives:
i.
Find out whether or not the activities of
the Boko Haram group has positive effect on Islamic Education in Nigeria.
ii.
Investigate the impact of the activities
of the Boko Haram group on the image of Islam in Nigeria.
iii.
Ascertain whether or not the teachings of
Boko Haram group are in consonance with the Islamic ideology.
iv.
Identify the challenges which the
activities of Boko Haram group pose to Islamic Education.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
In
order to give a sharp direction to the study, the following research questions
served as guiding prelude:
i.
What are the effects of the activities of
Boko Haram on Islamic Education?
ii.
What are the effects of Boko Haram
activities on the image of Islam in Nigeria?
iii.
What is the relationship between Boko
Haram teachings and Islamic ideology?
iv.
What are the challenges posed by Boko
Haram activities on Islamic Education in Nigeria?
1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
The following research
hypothesis will be tested in this study.
1.
The Boko Haram Ideology has no significant
effect on Islamic education in Nigeria.
2.
The Boko Harm ideology has significant
effects on Islamic education in Nigeria
3.
Boko Haram ideology put no significant
challenge on Islamic education in Nigeria.
4.
Boko Haram ideology put significant
challenge on Islamic education in Nigeria.
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This
study is very significant and it will be of benefit in the following areas.
i.
It will increase literatures available for
Boko Haram issues in Islamic Studies
ii.
It will be of benefit for the policy
makers in making policies that would forestall the future evolution of violent
religious sects in Nigeria.
iii.
It will be of benefit for curriculum
development so that education for peace would be included in our curriculum.
iv.
It will help to redirect future research
in Islamic Education
v.
It will benefit the Teaching and Learning
process in the sense that the Teachers will always reemphasize religious
tolerance in Teaching and Learning process.
1.7
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This
research work will be limited to the Nigerian Muslims in educational sector in
order to obtain their opinions on the effects of Boko Haram ideology on Islamic
education In Nigeria. This is because the issue is of great concern to Muslims
in the educational sector the students, instructors and administrators within
the school setting. The research will focus on the selected institutions in
Lagos state with the attention being put on students of different levels, to
sum up to about 300 respondents from the two institutions of learning. This is
done to ensure authentic and reliable information for the research work.
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