Mohammed Yusuf (Boko Haram) Explained

Mohammed Yusuf
Birth Date:29 January 1970
Birth Place:Jakusko, North-Eastern State, Nigeria (today Yobe)
Death Place:Maiduguri, Borno, Nigeria
Allegiance:Boko Haram
Serviceyears:2002–2007
Rank:Leader
Battles:Boko Haram insurgency

Mohammed Yusuf (29 January 1970 – 30 July 2009), also known as Ustaz Mohammed Yusuf, was a Nigerian terrorist who founded the Islamist militant group Boko Haram in 2002. He was its leader until he was killed during the 2009 Boko Haram uprising.[1]

Born in Girgi village, in Jakusko, present-day Yobe State, Nigeria, Yusuf received a University education.[2] Later he studied more of Islam and became a Salafi.[3]

Education and beliefs

According to scholar Paul Lubeck of the University of California at Santa Cruz, as a young man Yusuf was instructed in Shiasm and associated with Salafism and the teachings of Ibn Taymiyyah.[4] He had the equivalent of a graduate education, according to Nigerian academic Hussain Zakaria. Yusuf was never as proficient in English as was reported. He believed in the strict application of Islamic law, which represented his ideal of justice according to the teachings of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. Boko Haram hitmen would murder members of other Muslim sects like the Salafist Izala and the Sufi Tidjaniyya and Qadiriya fraternities.[5] In a 2009 BBC interview, Yusuf stated his belief that the concept of a spherical Earth is contrary to Islamic teaching and should be rejected. He also rejected Darwinian evolution, and the concept of the condensation cycle that produces rain.[6] In the interview he said:

There are prominent Islamic preachers who have seen and understood that the present Western-style education is mixed with issues that run contrary to our beliefs in Islam, he said.

Like rain. We believe it is a creation of God rather than an evaporation caused by the sun that condenses and becomes rain.

Like saying the world is a sphere. If it runs contrary to the teachings of Allah, we reject it. We also reject the theory of Darwinism.

Personal life

Yusuf had four wives and 12 children,[7] one of them being Abu Musab al-Barnawi, who claimed since 2016 to be the rightful leader of Boko Haram, opposing Abubakar Shekau.[8]

He was reported as living a lavish lifestyle, supposedly owning a Mercedes-Benz.[6]

Death

Following the July 2009 Boko Haram uprising, the Nigerian military captured Yusuf. They transferred him to the custody of the Nigerian police force.[9] The police summarily executed Yusuf in public view outside the police headquarters in Maiduguri.[10] [11] [12] Police officials initially claimed either that Yusuf was shot while trying to escape or died of wounds he sustained during a gun battle with the military.

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20120109052545/http://www.adl.org/main_Terrorism/boko_haram.htm?Multi_page_sections%3DsHeading_2 Boko Haram: The Emerging Jihadist Threat in West Africa – Background
  2. "West African Militancy and Violence", page 74
  3. Book: Dowd, Robert A.. Christianity, Islam, and Liberal Democracy: Lessons from Sub-Saharan Africa. Oxford University Press. 1 July 2015. 9780190225216. en. 102.
  4. Web site: Backgrounder – Boko Haram . Council of Foreign Relations . www.cfr.org . 27 December 2011 . 12 March 2012 . Johnson, Toni.
  5. Web site: Aux origines de la secte Boko Haram. Vicky. Alain. 1 April 2012. Le Monde diplomatique. fr. 4 December 2019.
  6. News: Nigeria's 'Taliban' enigma . BBC News . 28 July 2009 . 28 July 2009 .
  7. News: Nigeria sect head dies in custody . BBC News . 31 July 2009 . BBC . 25 May 2012.
  8. Web site: Shekau Resurfaces, Accuses New Boko Haram Leader al-Barnawi Of Attempted Coup . 360nobs . 4 August 2016 . 16 July 2018 . 17 July 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180717012857/https://www.360nobs.com/2016/08/shekau-resurfaces-accuses-new-boko-haram-leader-al-barnawi-of-attempted-coup/ . dead .
  9. News: Nigeria row over militant killing. 27 June 2015. BBC News. 31 July 2009.
  10. News: Abduction of Girls an Act Not Even Al Qaeda Can Condone . The New York Times . 7 May 2014 . 8 May 2014 . Adam Nossiter . David D. Kirkpatrick . amp .
  11. Human Rights Watch. Spiraling Violence: Boko Haram Attacks and Security Force Abuses in Nigeria. Human Rights Watch . 11 October 2012. 27 June 2015.
  12. News: Video shows Nigeria 'executions'. 27 June 2015. Al Jazeera. 9 February 2010.