Maitatsine

Last updated

Muhammad Marwa (died 1980), best known by his nickname Maitatsine, was a controversial Muslim preacher in Nigeria who founded the Yan Tatsine, a militant Quranist movement that first appeared around the early 1970s. [1] [2] [3] Maitatsine is a Hausa word meaning "the one who damns" and refers to his curse-laden public speeches against the Nigerian state. [4]

Contents

Background

He was originally from Marwa in northern Cameroon. [5] After his education, he moved to Kano, Nigeria in about 1945, where he became known for his controversial preachings on the Qur'an. Maitatsine spoke against the use of radios, watches, bicycles, cars and the possession of more money than necessary. [6] [7]

The British colonial authorities sent him into exile, but he returned to Kano shortly after independence. By 1972, he had a notable and increasingly militant following known as Yan Tatsine . [7] In 1975, he was again arrested by Nigerian police for slander and public abuse of political authorities [5] But in that period he began to receive acceptance from religious authorities, especially after making hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. [5] As his following increased in the 1970s, so did the number of confrontations between his adherents and the police. His preaching attracted largely a following of youths, unemployed migrants, and those who felt that mainstream Muslim teachers were not doing enough for their communities.[ citation needed ] By December 1980, continued Yan Tatsine attacks on other religious figures and police forced the Nigerian army to become involved. Subsequent armed clashes led to the deaths of around 5,000 people, including Maitatsine himself. [7] Maitatsine died shortly after sustaining injuries in the clashes either from his wounds or from a heart attack. [8]

According to a 2010 article published by the Sunday Trust magazine, the Nigerian military cremated Maitatsine's remains, which now rest in a bottle kept at a police laboratory in Kano. [9]

Legacy

Despite Mohammad Marwa's death, Yan Tatsine riots continued into the early 1980s. In October 1982 riots erupted in Bulumkutu, near Maiduguri, [10] and in Kaduna, [10] to where many Yan Tatsine adherents had moved after 1980. Over 3,000 people died. Some survivors of these altercations moved to Yola, and in early 1984 more violent uprisings occurred in that city. [10] In this round of rioting, Musa Makaniki, a close disciple of Maitatsine, emerged as a leader and Marwa's successor. [7] [8] Ultimately, more than 1,000 people died in Yola and roughly half of the city's 60,000 inhabitants were left homeless. Makaniki fled to his hometown of Gombe, [10] where more Yan Tatsine riots occurred in April 1985. After the deaths of several hundred people Makaniki retreated to Cameroon, where he remained until 2004 when he was arrested in Nigeria. [7]

Some analysts view the terrorist group Boko Haram as an extension of the Maitatsine riots. [11]

See also

Literature

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adamawa State</span> State of Nigeria

Adamawa State is a state in the North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered by Borno to the northwest, Gombe to the west, and Taraba to the southwest while its eastern border forms part of the national border with Cameroon. It takes its name from the historic emirate of Adamawa, with the emirate's old capital of Yola serving as the capital city of Adamawa State. The state was formed in 1991 when the former Gongola State was broken up into Adamawa and Taraba states. The state is one of the most heterogeneous in Nigeria, having over 100 indigenous ethnic groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam in Nigeria</span>

Islam is one of the two largest religions in Nigeria. Nigeria also has the largest Muslim population in Africa. In 2018, the CIA World Factbook estimated that 53.5% of Nigeria's population is Muslim. Islam is predominantly concentrated in the northern half of the country, with a significant Muslim minority existing in the southern region. Most of Northern Nigeria is governed under Sharia law, while the rest of the country is governed under secular law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Nigeria</span>

Christianity and Islam are the two main religions practiced in Nigeria. The country is home to some of the world's largest Christian and Muslim populations, simultaneously. Reliable recent statistics do not exist; however, Nigeria is divided roughly in half between Muslims, who live mostly in the northern region, and Christians, who live mostly in the southern region of the country. Indigenous religions, such as those native to the Igbo and Yoruba ethnicities, have been declining for decades and being replaced by Christianity and Islam. The Christian share of Nigeria's population is also now on the decline, due to a lower fertility rate relative to the Muslim population in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohammed Yusuf (Boko Haram)</span> Islamist terrorist leader (1970–2009)

Mohammed Yusuf, also known as Ustaz Mohammed Yusuf, was a Nigerian militant who founded the Islamist militant group Boko Haram in 2002. He was its leader until he was killed during the 2009 Boko Haram uprising.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Mosque of Kano</span> Mosque in Kano, Nigeria

The Great Mosque of Kano is a general Jumaat mosque in Kano, the capital city of Kano State and the second most populous city in Nigeria. The mosque is situated at around the Heart of the city around the Mandawari area of the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Boko Haram uprising</span> Part of the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria

The 2009 Boko Haram uprising was a conflict between Boko Haram, a militant Islamist group, and Nigerian security forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boko Haram</span> Central-West African jihadist organization

Boko Haram, officially known as Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād, is an Islamist jihadist organization based in northeastern Nigeria, which is also active in Chad, Niger, northern Cameroon, and Mali. In 2016, the group split, resulting in the emergence of a hostile faction known as the Islamic State's West Africa Province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwoza</span> LGA and town in Borno State, Nigeria

Gwoza is a local government area of Borno State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Gwoza, a border town "about 135 kilometres South-East of Maiduguri." The postal code of the area is 610.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potiskum</span> City and area in Yobe State, Nigeria

Potiskum is a local government area and city in Yobe State northeastern part of Nigeria. It's the largest, most populous and fastest growing city in Yobe State. Of the native languages in Yobe State, Potiskum is home to several major groups which include the Karai-Karai, Bolewa and Ngizim and Hausa-Fulani. It is on the A3 highway at 11°43′N11°04′E. It has an area of 559 square kilometres (216 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boko Haram insurgency</span> Terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa

The Boko Haram insurgency began in July 2009, when the militant Islamist and jihadist rebel group Boko Haram started an armed rebellion against the government of Nigeria. The conflict is taking place within the context of long-standing issues of religious violence between Nigeria's Muslim and Christian communities, and the insurgents' ultimate aim is to establish an Islamic state in the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bauchi prison break</span> Prison break perpetrated by Boko Haram

The Bauchi Prison break was an attack on the federal prison in the North-Eastern Nigerian city of Bauchi, in which members of Boko Haram released 721 prisoners. The attack occurred on 7 September 2010, and was carried out by approximately 50 gunmen. Of the 721 prisoners who escaped, as many as 150 were affiliated with the terrorist group Boko Haram. The Bauchi prison break was part of a broader escalation of Boko Haram activity, that escalation served as retaliation for the death of one of the group's primary leaders. Following this, Boko Haram has staged multiple subsequent attacks on government and religious targets in Bauchi state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yan Tatsine</span>

The Yan Tatsine was a militant Quranist movement founded by the controversial Nigerian leader Maitatsine that first appeared around the early 1970s.

A series of assaults on businesses occurred in northeastern Nigeria on 5 and 6 January 2012, followed by attacks on police stations and government offices in the north on 20 January. Over 180 people were killed.

On 29 September 2013, gunmen from Boko Haram entered the male dormitory in the College of Agriculture in Gujba, Yobe State, Nigeria, killing forty-four students and teachers.

Musa Ali Suleiman is a Nigerian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religious violence in Nigeria</span>

Religious violence in Nigeria refers to Christian-Muslim strife in modern Nigeria, which can be traced back to 1953. Today, religious violence in Nigeria is dominated by the Boko Haram insurgency, which aims to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria. Since the turn of the 21st century, 62,000 Nigerian Christians have been killed by the terrorist group Boko Haram, Fulani herdsmen and other groups. The killings have been referred to as a silent genocide.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Kano, Nigeria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 West African offensive</span> Coalition offensive against Boko Haram

Starting in late January 2015, a coalition of West African troops launched an offensive against the Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria.

The Kano 1980 riot was a riot in Kano, Nigeria led by Maitatsine and his followers and the first major religious conflict in postcolonial Kano.

References

  1. ↑ Comolli, Virginia (2015). Boko Haram: Nigeria's Islamist Insurgency. Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-1-84904-491-2.
  2. ↑ Loimeier, Roman (31 August 2011). Islamic Reform and Political Change in Northern Nigeria. Northwestern University Press. ISBN   978-0-8101-2810-1.
  3. ↑ Nwankwor, Emeka (9 December 2020). Buharism: Nigeria's Death Knell. FriesenPress. ISBN   978-1-5255-8324-7.
  4. ↑ Adesoji, Abimbola (Summer 2011). "Between Maitatsine and Boko Haram: Islamic Fundamentalism and the Response of the Nigerian State". Africa Today. 57 (4): 98–119, 136. doi:10.2979/africatoday.57.4.99. S2CID   144261568. ProQuest   883393210.
  5. 1 2 3 Paul M. Lubeck (1985). "Islamic Protest under Semi-Industrial Capitalism: 'Yan Tatsine Explained". Africa: Journal of the International African Institute. 55 (4): 369–389. doi:10.2307/1160172. JSTOR   1160172. S2CID   145597780.
  6. ↑ Kastfelt, Niels (1989). "Rumours of Maitatsine: A Note on Political Culture in Northern Nigeria". African Affairs. 88 (350): 83–90. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a098156.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Pham, J. Peter (2006-10-19). "In Nigeria False Prophets Are Real Problems". worlddefensereview.com. World Defense Review. Archived from the original on 2013-02-09. Retrieved 2011-11-21.
  8. 1 2 Hiskett, Mervyn (October 1987). "The Maitatsine Riots in Kano, 1980: An Assessment". Journal of Religion in Africa. 17 (3): 209–23. doi:10.1163/157006687x00145. JSTOR   1580875.
  9. ↑ Adamu, Lawan Danjuma (2010-12-26). "Maitatsine: 30 Years After Kano's Most Deadly Violence". Sunday Trust. Daily Trust. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Religious Violence in Nigeria – the Causes and Solutions: an Islamic Perspective, A. O. Omotosho. Swedish Missiological Theme 2003, P. 15-31.
  11. ↑ Johnson, Toni (31 August 2011). "Backgrounder: Boko Haram". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 2011-09-01.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.