Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Quranic schools play an important role both socially and educationally in many Saheli-
an countries. In recent years, Islamic clerics (sometimes with the support of clerics and
funds from Saudi Arabia) have begun to preach a stricter doctrinal line. This has particu-
larly been the case in predominantly Muslim northern Nigeria where sharia law has been
imposed. In its most extreme form, the shift has seen the rise of fundamentalist groups
such as Boko Haram (with its roots in northeastern Nigeria) and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic
Maghreb (AQIM); AQIM has been widely reported to have been a powerful force in the
rebel occupation of northern Mali in 2012 and their foot soldiers were responsible for des-
troying numerous marabout tombs, including some in Timbuktu.
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