Explaining Boko Haram’s anti-Muslim violence

Abstract

This article thoroughly investigates Boko Haram’s (BH) evolving stance towards Muslims, particularly in northern Nigeria, unveiling distinct phases of engagement. It asserts that BH’s transformation into a covert entity, driven by state repression, triggered the adoption of exclusive membership methods, culminating in a trajectory of expansive violence that encompassed both systemic targets and eventually Muslims. These shifts materialised through three distinct periods: pre-2009, marked by BH’s competition with fellow Muslim groups through sermons and public outreach to gain adherents; the 2009–2013 span, witnessing BH’s covert shift with a selective membership approach and a recalibrated Muslim strategy, exploiting interfaith tensions for sympathy and mobilisation; and post-2013, witnessing an abrupt shift in BH’s Muslim stance towards denunciation, open enmity, and heightened violent actions. This transformation resulted from BH’s recognition of its soft mobilisation’s failure, its estrangement from rival Muslim factions, and the participation of ordinary Muslims alongside government forces against the movement, collectively reshaping BH’s dynamics and its interactions within the Muslim community.