Mirroring the Past in the Present: A Comparative Analysis Between Khawārij and Boko-Haram

Abstract

The deadliest religious sect ever witnessed by Nigerians is the Jamacatu Ahlu Sunnah lid Dacwah Wal Jihād popularly known as Boko Haram. The group was founded by Muhammad Yusuf in 2002 and was initially known to be a Jihadist organisation based in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State in the North eastern Nigeria. With the killing of the founder on 30th July 2009 in a Boko Haram uprising and the subsequent takeover of leadership by Abubakar Shekau, the group turned to an insurgent that has indiscriminately killed tens of thousands of Nigerians and has displaced millions of citizens from their homes. The militant group attracted the attention of the entire world between 2014 and 2016 when it abducted some school girls in Chibok village of Borno State and claimed control over some other villages in the state. The massive killings of both the militaries and civilians up till the end of 2017 by the fundamentalists under the pretext of fighting for the cause of Allah is likened to the militant attack launched by the Khawārij against other Muslims after the life of the Prophet (SAW). This study made a comparison between the two groups using a combination of descriptive and comparative research methods with a view to identifying the ideological relationship between both groups. Findings of the work revealed that the founder of the Boko Haram group shared some ideologies of the Khawārij and therefore, to overcome the insurgence of this group, it is necessary to review the way and manner the Khawārij were silenced in Islamic history.