More Than 102 Killed in Nigeria Mosque Blasts

[Nithavela]

More Than 102 Killed in Nigeria Mosque Blasts

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan vowed to track down the perpetrators of bomb blasts that killed more than 100 people at the central mosque in the city of Kano yesterday. Jonathan said his government will "continue to take every step to put an end to the reprehensible acts of all groups and persons involved in acts of terrorism." More than 102 people were killed in the bomb explosions at the central mosque in Kano, said a hospital worker. The blasts injured more than 150. "Most of those receiving treatment ... are in dire need of blood, and we are appealing to people to come and donate their blood to rescue the victims," Dr. Usman Bashir told the AP today. Hundreds had gathered yesterday in the mosque, which is known for attracting moderates, for a sermon in a region terrorized by attacks by the extremist group Boko Haram. Witnesses said heavy smoke could be seen billowing in the sky from a long distance away. Immediately after the blasts, hundreds of angry youths took to the streets in riots, throwing stones, brandishing sticks, and shouting at security officials. Boko Haram has not claimed responsibility, but the attack bears the hallmarks of the militant group that has carried out numerous such attacks in northern Nigeria, including in Kano. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the attack "horrific" and pledged UN support for Nigeria's fight against terrorism, said a rep.

 

[dgiharris]

Boko Haram - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Boko Haram was founded as a Sunni Islamic fundamentalist sect advocating a strict form of sharia law and developed into a Salafist-jihadi group in 2009, influenced by the Wahhabi movement.[4][26][27][28][29][30] It seeks the establishment of an Islamic state in Nigeria, and opposes the Westernising of Nigerian society that has concentrated the wealth of the country among a small political elite, mainly in the Christian south of the country.[31][32] Nigeria is Africa's biggest economy; 60% of its population of 173 million (2013) live on less than $1 a day.[33][34][35] The sharia law imposed by local authorities, beginning with Zamfara in January 2000 and covering 12 northern states by late 2002, may have promoted links between Boko Haram and political leaders, but was considered by the group to have been corrupted.[36]:101[37][38][39]

Boko Haram kill people who engage in practices seen as un-Islamic, such as drinking alcohol.[37] In a 2009 BBC interview Mohammed Yusuf, the founder of Boko Haram (whose name means 'Western education is forbidden'), claimed that such education "spoils the belief in one God". He also 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."[40]