Boko Haram
New International Religious Freedom Act a first for atheists
By Kimberly Winston — December 19, 2016
(RNS) The freshly signed Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act is being heralded by both atheists and Christians as a milestone.
Boko Haram frees 21 kidnapped Chibok girls
By guest — October 13, 2016
The girls were among the 270 taken in 2014 by Boko Haram, which has pledged allegiance to the so-called Islamic State.
Muslims celebrate lifting of Lagos hijab ban
By Jerome Socolovsky — July 22, 2016
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) Muslims in Nigeria are celebrating a court ruling that lifted a ban on girls in public school wearing the hijab in Lagos state.
Hope and frustration mark anniversary of Chibok kidnappings
By Fredrick Nzwili — April 12, 2016
(RNS) The abduction shocked the world and gave rise to the global online campaign #bringbackourgirls. Still, the majority of the girls have never been found.
Suicide bombers kill 22 at mosque in Nigeria
By Reuters — March 16, 2016
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria -- The attack by two female suicide bombers occurred during morning prayers.
Obama takes on Islamic extremism
By Mark Silk — December 7, 2015
But will our Muslim allies answer his call?
As Nigeria prepares to install new president, female suicide bombings spike
By Fredrick Nzwili — May 27, 2015
(RNS) More women and children have been used as suicide bombers in the first five months of this year than during the whole of last year, according to reports collated by UNICEF, the United Nation Children’s Fund.
Rainbow jihad * Sex church * iSwap: April’s Religious Freedom Recap
By Brian Pellot — May 1, 2015
Same-sex marriage heads back to SCOTUS. A Tennessee sex club becomes a church to skirt zoning restrictions. And Boko Haram rebrands as iSwap, aligning not with Apple but with the Islamic State. All this and more in April’s global religious freedom recap.
Nigeria marks one year since Boko Haram kidnapped schoolgirls
By Fredrick Nzwili — April 14, 2015
(RNS) In Chibok, there were high expectations as the military started combing the Sambisa forest, where the militants are believed to have hidden the children.
Nigeria’s neighbors hope for a fresh start with President-elect Buhari
By Reuters — April 6, 2015
MALAM FATORI, Nigeria (Reuters) President-elect Muhammadu Buhari has called Nigeria's reliance on neighboring armies in Niger and Chad a disgrace and has vowed to restore the territorial integrity of Africa's most populous nation amid ongoing threats from Boko Haram.
Can a Muslim president defeat Boko Haram? Nigerians are betting on it
By Fredrick Nzwili — April 1, 2015
(RNS) Nigerians, both Christian and Muslim, hope their new president is better-suited to battle Boko Haram insurgents, despite being a Muslim himself.
Nigerian Christians may back a Muslim candidate in upcoming presidential elections
By Fredrick Nzwili — March 24, 2015
(RNS) Some Nigerians fear that another term for Goodluck Jonathan would mean the emergence of more Muslim extremist groups in addition to Boko Haram. And they are willing to pin their hopes on a Muslim candidate.
‘I wish I could also have died’: Boko Haram haunts kids
By Tonny Onyulo — March 11, 2015
BAGA SOLA, Chad (RNS) Children make up about half of the Nigerians coming to the crowded Baga Sola refugee camp. Many are orphans sinking into despair, traumatized from the horrors they've witnessed and facing an uncertain future.
Boko Haram pledges loyalty to brutal Islamic State
By Katharine Lackey — March 9, 2015
The pledge would make Boko Haram the largest extremist group to agree to fight under the Islamic State
Theologian: Religious extremists like ISIS carve a bloody path through history
By Jonathan Merritt — February 17, 2015
"America was founded by folks who thought like this," a prominent Yale professor says of Islamist extremists. Some may find his comments difficult to swallow in light of recent events.
