5. The jihad of Sheikh Ahmet Ismael Bichara in Kouno: An example of an outbreak of extremism based on religion
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Hoinathy Remadji
Abstract
Chad is a multi-cultural and multi-religious secular country. Islam coexists with other religions, including Christianity and the so-called African religions. However, events have disrupted or shaken this coexistence on several occasions. Of these events, the most significant in the last decade remains the ‘jihad’ attempt launched by Sheikh Ahmet Ismael Bichara in the city of Kouno (Baguirmi) on 29 June 2008. The State’s military response to this religious uprising, which was beginning to overflow, resulted in more than 70 deaths. This chapter reviews this attempt at jihad, which to date is a subject of investigation for those interested in religious issues in Chad. How did a sheikh of apparently Sufi religious practices find himself involved in the open violence of Salafism? What impact can such an event have on the future of people living together in Chad? This chapter is essentially factual and attempts to answer these questions specifically on the basis of the sheikh’s trajectory. To begin, we provide a brief overview of the theatre of events in the city of Kouno. This is the fruit of empirical field research conducted in August 2015 in the Kouno and Sarh region of southern Chad.
Abstract
Chad is a multi-cultural and multi-religious secular country. Islam coexists with other religions, including Christianity and the so-called African religions. However, events have disrupted or shaken this coexistence on several occasions. Of these events, the most significant in the last decade remains the ‘jihad’ attempt launched by Sheikh Ahmet Ismael Bichara in the city of Kouno (Baguirmi) on 29 June 2008. The State’s military response to this religious uprising, which was beginning to overflow, resulted in more than 70 deaths. This chapter reviews this attempt at jihad, which to date is a subject of investigation for those interested in religious issues in Chad. How did a sheikh of apparently Sufi religious practices find himself involved in the open violence of Salafism? What impact can such an event have on the future of people living together in Chad? This chapter is essentially factual and attempts to answer these questions specifically on the basis of the sheikh’s trajectory. To begin, we provide a brief overview of the theatre of events in the city of Kouno. This is the fruit of empirical field research conducted in August 2015 in the Kouno and Sarh region of southern Chad.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Table of Contents V
- 1. Introduction: Biographies of radicalization–hidden messages of social change 1
- 2. ‘The heavens have already burned’: Reflections on radicalism 15
- 3. Pathways to home-grown jihadism in the Netherlands: The Hofstadgroup, 2002–2005 25
- 4. How Muhammad al-Wali developed a radical definition of the unbeliever 39
- 5. The jihad of Sheikh Ahmet Ismael Bichara in Kouno: An example of an outbreak of extremism based on religion 51
- 6. Ruben Um Nyobe: Camerounian maquis, radical, and liberator, ca 1948–1958 65
- 7. ‘It’s the way we are moulded’ 85
- 8. Radicalization processes and trajectories in western Chad 103
- 9. Radicalization in northern Nigeria: Stories from Boko Haram 114
- 10. A rebel youth? Social media, charismatic leadership, and ‘radicalized’ youth in the 2015 Biafra protests 134
- 11. Hamadoun Koufa: Spearhead of radicalism in central Mali 152
- 12. Central Mali: Toward a Fulani question? 174
- 13. Central African refugee Mbororo nomads in Cameroon: Cultural hostages? 194
- 14. Islam and radicalization in Senegal: A response in female preaching 216
- 15. Legacies of political resistance in Congo-Brazzaville 230
- 16. ‘Give the Youth a Voice’: A reflection on the Rencontres V4T@Dakar, 15–18 November 2017 244
- List of Authors 256
- List of Abbreviations VII
- Acknowledgements IX
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Table of Contents V
- 1. Introduction: Biographies of radicalization–hidden messages of social change 1
- 2. ‘The heavens have already burned’: Reflections on radicalism 15
- 3. Pathways to home-grown jihadism in the Netherlands: The Hofstadgroup, 2002–2005 25
- 4. How Muhammad al-Wali developed a radical definition of the unbeliever 39
- 5. The jihad of Sheikh Ahmet Ismael Bichara in Kouno: An example of an outbreak of extremism based on religion 51
- 6. Ruben Um Nyobe: Camerounian maquis, radical, and liberator, ca 1948–1958 65
- 7. ‘It’s the way we are moulded’ 85
- 8. Radicalization processes and trajectories in western Chad 103
- 9. Radicalization in northern Nigeria: Stories from Boko Haram 114
- 10. A rebel youth? Social media, charismatic leadership, and ‘radicalized’ youth in the 2015 Biafra protests 134
- 11. Hamadoun Koufa: Spearhead of radicalism in central Mali 152
- 12. Central Mali: Toward a Fulani question? 174
- 13. Central African refugee Mbororo nomads in Cameroon: Cultural hostages? 194
- 14. Islam and radicalization in Senegal: A response in female preaching 216
- 15. Legacies of political resistance in Congo-Brazzaville 230
- 16. ‘Give the Youth a Voice’: A reflection on the Rencontres V4T@Dakar, 15–18 November 2017 244
- List of Authors 256
- List of Abbreviations VII
- Acknowledgements IX
