Boko Haram et le terrorisme islamiste au Nigeria : insurrection religieuse, contestation politique ou protestation sociale ?

Abstract

In Nigeria, the Islamic terrorism of Boko Haram raises a lot of questions about the political relationship betweenso-called "religious" violence and the state. At least three of them expose our confusions about islamization,conversion, radicalization and the politicization of religion, namely:– Is it a religious uprising or a political contest for power?– How does it express a social revolt?– How indicative is it of a radicalization of the patterns of protest of the Muslims in Northern Nigeria?A fieldwork study shows that Boko Haram is not so much political because it wants to reform the society, butmainly because it reveals the intrigues of a weak government and the fears of a nation in the making. Otherwise,the radicalization of Islam cannot be limited to terrorism and it is difficult to know if the movement is moreextremist, fanatic and murderous than previous uprising like the one of Maitatsine in Kano in 1980. The capacityof Boko Haram to develop international connections and to challenge the state is not exceptional as such. Farfrom the clichés on a clash of civilizations between the North and the South, the specificity of the sect in Nigeriahas more to do with its suicide attacks. Yet the terrorist evolution of Boko Haram was first and foremost causedby the brutality of the state repression, more than alleged contacts with an international jihadist movement. ; Au Nigeria, la dérive terroriste du mouvement islamiste Boko Haram interroge le rapport de la violence dite « religieuse » à l'État. Cette étude de terrain pose ainsi trois questions fondamentales qui tournent toutes autour de nos propres confusions sur les notions d'islamisation, de conversion, de radicalisation et de politisation du religieux, à savoir :– S'agit-il d'une insurrection plus religieuse que politique ?– En quoi exprime-t-elle une révolte sociale ?– En quoi signale-t-elle une radicalisation des formes de protestation des musulmans du Nord Nigeria ?À l'analyse, il s'avère en l'occurrence que le mouvement Boko Haram est un révélateur du ...