ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the dominant perspectives on ideology of religious terrorism, by interrogating the nexus between religious ideology and terrorism. In doing so, it evaluates the counter-terrorism strategies adopted in African states battling the challenges of terrorism. Religious ideology has shaped terrorists’ target of operations and the motive for their actions and reactions to their victims. The chapter argues that the religious ideology of terrorists is primarily defined by doctrinal belief systems derived from the scriptures, prophetic traditions and the preaching of learned religious scholars. The understanding of the religious ideology of terrorist groups is central to the discourse on the motive behind their target selection, operational strategies, source of financing and access to resources for their operations, and the measures devised by the states in response to the threat to the security environment within which the terrorists operate.
