ABSTRACT
The Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria has been marked by the large number of souls lost to the intentional acts of violence. The killing field for the insurgents is quite large. It includes all Christians in Nigeria (about 100 million people), all Shiite-Muslims (about 5 million people), all Sunni Muslims who are not of the same narrowly focused Wahabi-Salafi persuasion (about 95 million). At the height of their power in 2009, the group’s membership was estimated at 50,000 persons. Although Sheikh Mohammed Yusuf’s charisma attracted casual bystanders and politicians seeking miracles from Allah, the community of committed adherents remained small – perhaps due to the extremist views espoused.
