TERRORISM AND CONTAGION THEORY: PROBING THE IMPACT OF ISIS ON BOKO HARAM (2012 – 2014)
Authors: Ejime, R., Hough, P., Aybak, T. and Ejime, E.
Journal: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES (IJSSIS)
Volume: 5
Issue: 2
Pages: 63-76
Publisher: BİLSAS (Bilim Sanat Spor Yapım / Science Art Sport Productions)
ISSN: 2147-9879
Abstract:Terrorism has become a common phenomenon in contemporary global security architecture, earning it an infectous and contagious status in recent years. A beter understanding or assessment of this phenomenon could be examining two very actve terrorist groups operatng in diferent geographical locatons, Boko Haram (B.H.) and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). To do this, identfying the infuence and communicable efects of terrorism from ISIS on B.H. becomes a predominant factor in this paper. B.H.’s existence has been atributed to economic poverty, mass unemployment, religious ideology, and marginalisaton (relatve deprivaton). However, this study is undertaken to understand whether the B.H. insurgency in Nigeria is a result of these socio-economic and politcal factors prevalent in the country or imitaton of other terrorist groups (contagion/copycat terrorism), such as ISIS.
Qualitatve analysis of transcripts from both terrorist groups’ public statements and their online publicatons is undertaken with computer-aided analysis sofware, Nvivo, which shows that both groups have similar aims and objectves, including establishing an Islamic Caliphate with Islamic laws. Although B.H. started as a non-violent group based on the socio-politcal and economic situatons (internal factors) in Nigeria, the group later morphed to imitate the actvites, actons, and rhetoric of ISIS, culminatng in B.H. developing into the deadliest terrorist group by 2014.
Source: Manual